Muffled
by RoseblossomWarrior
Summary: To repay a debt, mute shaman Tori must secretly aid the Shaman King, whomever it may be. For as long as she can remember, she's done this without bias; but when she suddenly learns what friendship is, how can she just stand by and watch? Complete.
1. Manta

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King, I only own four OCs in here, the first two we meet are Tori and Nix.**

_You know what really irks me? Spending 20mins writing an A/N and then accidentally deleting without saving._

_Hey everyone, this is my second Shaman King fic (I hope it's better than the first!). This will be about sixty-something chapters, and yes, it follows the anime to a point. Like, REALLY follows it. _

_So... We'll get things done and go on to the main character (first, a note about her spirit, Nix: he's a Phoenix (hehe what an ORIGINAL name) and I was so happy with this coincidence: "nix- say no to something: to refuse, forbid, or veto something (slang)." It soooo matches his personality). Tori is probably what you'd call... a... a... a Mary Sue. (omghowcouldihavemadeamarysuei'mgoingtohyperventalate). She's mute and has special, secret powers, and a secret past and a secret job. Secret secret secret._

_I hate her being a Mary Sue (maybe if I dig further into denial it'll go away...), but it worked for the plot I planned out, okay? Grr. Oh well. I love Tori anyways._

_The main plot follows the anime, though there are a few tweaks of course (adding an OC in does that...*smacks self* duh!); the biggest tweak is at the end._

**_YOHTHERETHISISIMPORTANTO: This story goes slowly. You won't know everything about Tori for a few chapters, and you won't outright hear what her biggest secret is until the climax, though clues are dropped. Like, majorly. XD_**

This is normal text and "speaking."

_This is Tori thinking to herself._

_**'This is telepathy.'**_

_'This is sign language and mouthing, pay attention to the single quotes.'_

_Have fun reading! Oh, and if you see ANY problem, tell me. :D (I know I'm forgetting stuff to say (I DID spend 20mins writing this A/N before it accidentally deleted . but oh well I'll - OH! I know how this is going to end! Isn't that great?)_

_Update schedule: perhaps once every few days, probably once or twice a week, depending upon my schedule and when I can snag computer time. As of posting this chapter (9/14/10) I'm near finished with Chapter 27. But don't let that stop you from reviewing - I urge you, TELL ME ANY MISTAKES YOU SEE. Merci boucoup (please tell me I spelled that right...)!_

_Extra Note: Tori does seem like a stalker... but ignore it for now._

()()()()()()()()()()

**Muffled**

**One: Manta**

"You cannot do this," Nix whispered into my ear. "You cannot focus on just one person, or just one group. You have to watch everyone."

I shook my head. _**'I can't watch every shaman that wants to participate in the Tournament,'**_I relayed back telepathically. Usually, Nix spoke to me with his mind, but he probably felt like stretching his beak tonight.

I kept watching the boy, Hao's twin, as he sat on the cliff of the Funbari Hill Cemetery with the spirits of the graveyard. He didn't have a main spirit yet; if he didn't get one soon, he'd never have a chance in the Tournament at all.

'_**Besides, Nix, this one is interesting.'**_

"Interesting?" he muttered crossly back at me, ruffling his crimson feathers. "He does noth-"

He broke off when we both heard footsteps from the stone stairway, and I crouched lower to the shrine roof as not to be seen by accident.

A boy, so short he looked like a toddler, was dashing up the stairs, a large book tucked under his arm. He was talking aloud about how the cemetery was a good shortcut home.

Hao's twin heard him as well. "The stars are cool, huh?"

"Stars?" The short boy looked up to the heavens, oblivious to the slight form my head must have made against the sky. "Wow! No kidding!" Suddenly, he turned to Yoh. "Who are you!"

"You came to see the stars too, right?" Yoh asked, standing up and turning around. "C'mon, let's watch them with everyone."

The boy shrunk back. "It's kind of late…And when they're only two people, you don't say 'everyone,'" he pointed out with a nervous chuckle.

"No… it's 'everyone,'" Yoh corrected.

"What?"

"The spirits!" Yoh jerked his thumb in the air, and the spirits of the cemetery suddenly appeared. Judging by the look on the short boy's face, I could tell that he saw them, and had never seen them before.

The short boy screamed, and ran away.

I watched him, interested. The boy was definitely not a shaman or an itako; how had he suddenly seen the spirits? I've known people who could see spirits that weren't shamans, but they had seen them their whole life… I looked back toward Hao's twin; he seemed disappointed, a slight frown on his face.

I'd seen shamans get disappointed many times over about others discovering their powers. It wasn't new to me, even if I couldn't truly relate. I turned and jumped from the roof of the shrine down onto the ground where Yoh couldn't see me and hurried away; I wanted to see more of this short, peculiar boy.

()()()()()()()()()()()

The next afternoon, I found the both of them at the river; well, Yoh was on the bridge, while the short kid was watching from behind a telephone pole. I, for one, had watched Yoh do this once and knew that the kid was in for a long wait if he wanted to see Yoh do something 'interesting,' so I walked straight past the both of them, over the bridge, and into the streets on the other side. All the while, I was merged with Nix in case someone tried to talk with me (once the Tournament started, I would be doing this less and less).

After I got something to eat, I walked back toward the bridge. The sky was completely orange in the sunset, and the air was peaceful. The short kid was still hiding behind the telephone pole; from what I could see by the back of his head, he seemed pretty angry in the way he held his shoulders. He was grumbling to himself, too; the sign of both a madman and a genius, as I've heard.

Suddenly, Yoh stretched, and the boy tensed, poised as if to spring.

"It feels great to be one with nature," Yoh said aloud to himself, settling back down against the railing to watch the river.

"What the hell was that?" the short kid screeched, jumping out from behind the telephone pole.

"Huh?" Yoh looked up, but the kid was already behind the pole, panting from his sudden outburst. Yoh caught sight of me and I waved in a sort of neighborly way as I walked past the short kid (who didn't seem to notice me) and across the bridge.

"Did you hear something?" Yoh asked me.

I shook my head. "No." It felt so strange to have Nix manipulate my otherwise mute vocal cords, but I was used to it. It used to take forever for me to tell Nix telepathically what I wanted to say, but now I actually sound like someone who's not shy. It wasn't that my vocal cords were useless; if that were the case, Nix wouldn't be able to manipulate them at all. The thing was, _I _couldn't control them.

"Oh. Okay, thanks," Yoh said, beginning to walk behind me into the streets; purposely, I kept walking straight and very slowly. He turned the down a corner, and soon disappeared.

I turned back towards the river to see the short kid standing there. "What the _hell_!" he screamed. "I've lost him!"

I had to stifle a laugh.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

I watched from the shrine roof yet again. Yoh wasn't at the cemetery, but below me, the short kid had come prepared with a flashlight and a camera - and for the first time, I realized what the kid must be doing: trying to get proof that he did see spirits, and that Yoh saw them, too.

"…However," the kid said, turning on a flashlight to illuminate his face as he stared at something that wasn't there at all - again, the sign of a genius/madman. "I, Manta-sama, don't give up that easily."

Ah. So Manta was his name. Now I didn't have to call him 'short kid' anymore.

"As long as I stick around here, he's bound to show up eventually," short- er, Manta continued. "And with this camera, I'll be able to take a picture of him when he's with the ghosts!" As if trying to prove a point, he took an experimental picture. "Then I'll have hard evidence." He chuckled almost evilly.

It was a good thing that I wasn't united with Nix, or else I would have laughed and given my position away.

"What did you say?"

Both Manta and I turned toward the sound of the voice; it belonged to an extremely tall man with the most hair I think I have ever seen, or can ever remember seeing. He was dressed in a white suit-like-outfit, and he reminded me of Elvis. He held a long, wooden sword in his hand. He and his group must have come up while I was paying attention to Manta.

"Is that true?" he continued.

The guys lackeys were appearing to calm him down, but it didn't quite appear to be working from what I could tell from the guy's stiff body.

He muttered some things to his lackeys, but because I wasn't merged with Nix meant that my hearing wasn't as keen as it would be with him. But I picked up the words "kid coming here," "best place" and "rumor"; I realized that he must be talking about Yoh.

"I don't like it!" Elvis-impersonator suddenly yelled, knocking over Amidamaru's gravestone. He placed a foot on it and seemed to give an order to his men, who all suddenly appeared frightened. They must know the story of Amidamaru.

I, for one, was shocked that anyone would disrespect a grave site like this. By instinct, I knew that Amidamaru's legend was faulty (from what I'd seen of the spirit in my short time here at the cemetery, he'd seemed very peaceful), but I knew that the samurai would be deeply enraged by this action.

In response to his group's attempts to warn him of the 'devil,' the man (who I heard one of them call 'Ryu') turned and _split Amidamaru's gravestone in half._

I was about to stand up - how _dare _he disrespect a spirit like that? - when I heard the echoing sound of a can falling down the cliff.

It caught the attention of Ryu, who turned to see Manta standing there beside the shrine, sweating and shaking. Manta tried to convince them that he was just passing through, but Ryu and his gang suddenly became menacing all at once. Manta screamed as they suddenly came forward and attacked.

I had had enough of sitting around. I didn't usually fight, but I couldn't let little Manta get kicked around by these bullies. Though their numbers were many, I didn't bother to merge with Nix, and instead jumped to the ground in front of Manta, who was already starting to bruise as he trembled against the wall of the shrine - he was bleeding in a couple places, too, and one of his arms looked broken.

Immediately, the men froze. For a second I wondered, oddly humorously, if they had ever seen a girl before, but I wasn't merged with Nix so I couldn't voice my thoughts unless I wanted to reveal that I was a telepath.

Suddenly, Ryu was kneeling at my feet. "You are such a beautiful flower," he cooed, sickening me. "Your red hair is-"

I cut him off by kicking him square below the belt. While he yowled in pain and hunched over, I quickly turned away and scooped Manta up in my arms - he was even lighter than he looked. Through the pain, he looked confused, but grateful for the rescue. Before Ryu's gang could make up their mind to help their leader or chase after me, I was running in a full out sprint towards the nearest hospital.

()()()()()()()()()()()

"This is exactly why you shouldn't stick around people this long!" Nix scolded, flying angrily around my head. The phoenix had been my spirit guardian for a long time, but even though I called him my friend, I was always annoyed when he seemed to think that _he _was the decision-maker and I was the troublemaker who was supposed to follow his every command. "You get attached to them, and then they start asking questions!"

'_**You know what, Nix? I don't care,'**_I thought to him as I sat on the roof of the entrance to the hospital. I had already dropped Manta off and managed to avoid being asked questions, but I didn't want to leave until I saw that the boy was all right. _**'I want to be with people; I hate just having to watch them all the time.'**_

"You should be honored!" Nix argued. "It's your job to watch the shamans until the time comes to help the Shaman King."

'_**I am honored to have been chosen,' **_I agreed, _**'but I can't speak to them without you or without revealing myself. I know I'm supposed to watch other shamans as well, but the Shaman Fights haven't started yet. This is a lonely job. The last people I was close to were the Patch, but that hardly counts. I've never been truly close to anyone at any time.'**_

Nix grumbled something about me under his breath and perched on the edge of the roof, ruffling his feathers. We had had arguments like this many times before, and he knew he wouldn't win. Technically, I wouldn't really win either, but I'd get the upper hand, at least.

However, I considered his words. No doubt, Manta would have a curiosity with me, and answering questions would be difficult - and not just because I was mute. It would be for the best if I stayed away from him for now - besides, he wasn't even a shaman-

_Wait, _my brain said to me. Manta wasn't a shaman, but he could see spirits. Maybe I could be his friend without answering tough questions.

Yoh seemed calm enough and accepting enough that I could try to be his friend if I wanted to, but I wasn't sure. This was Hao's twin, and although I knew from Yohmei that Yoh was nothing like his brother, and also with the fact that I technically wasn't supposed to be biased, I had to admit that I was rather fearful, even if I didn't truly hate Hao. Though, from what I had seen, Yoh was lazy and calm, hardly anything to be afraid of.

The possibility of a friend was tempting, but I couldn't take it. Besides, I'd just have to leave eventually. I had a… demanding job.

I stood. _**'C'mon, Nix, let's go.'**_

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

I couldn't really keep away from them, though. The next night, I found myself watching from behind the shrine (I was starting to feel insecure that I might be seen on the roof) as Yoh and Manta waited at the cemetery for something - I suspected that something might be Ryu and his gang.

Yoh sat on the ground, listening to his music with his back against a wooden stake. He had tied Manta to a tree so that the little guy wouldn't run away; I smirked at this. They conversed with each other for a little while. I listened to every word while I absent-mindedly fingered with the feather tied around my neck, because this time I was prepared and was already merged with Nix.

I suddenly tensed, hearing the sounds of Ryu's gang approaching. I watched closely as they took notice of Yoh and Manta.

Yoh stood up and dusted off his pants, turning to Ryu. "Hey, I'm Asakura Yoh," he greeted "And this is my friend, Oyamada Manta," he added, gesturing to the trussed-up teen, who looked petrified.

"My friend seemed to owe you some debt," Yoh continued. "So I came to return the favor."

"Favor?" Ryu asked. "Are you saying you're going to avenge him?" He chuckled. "You've sure got some guts. You must really want to see the other world soon."

"Even those of 'the other world' are saying that you people are annoying."

"There is a limit even when joking around," Ryu argued, getting pissed.

"Apologize!" Manta pleaded to Yoh, scared out of his mind. Yoh said nothing.

Two of Ryu's thugs came forward. "We'll take care of `em, Ryu," they said, crouching into fighting stances.

"Apologize!" Manta pleaded again.

"I told you, it's all right," Yoh soothed without looking at him.

"You can't do anything by yourself!"

"I'm not alone!" Yoh declared, and Amidamaru's spirit appeared behind him. He threw his hand in the air. "Amidamaru! _Hyoi Gattai!"_

Ryu's thugs flew at Yoh, who easily whacked them aside with his wooden stake, sending them flying through the air. I found myself mesmerized; though Yoh was an amateur shaman, he meant business - and so did Amidamaru.

Suddenly, I was frozen for a second with fear. While he had been battling, Yoh's headphones had fallen off. With his angry glare, for a moment he looked just like Hao.

I shook myself. I had to make myself stop thinking like that. Yoh was not Hao. Though they looked freakishly the same, they were as different as Yin and Yang.

Ryu screamed, lunging at Yoh. He brought his wooden sword up to swing down, but Yoh ducked under the attack and brought his wooden stake up, slicing off most of Ryu's pompadour. Shocked, Ryu fell backwards, defeated.

With panic, his lackeys picked him up and ran off. While Yoh untied Manta, I jumped up onto the roof to get a better view at what the duo was doing. Yoh pulled out a bucket of glue that he had brought, and I smiled as he and Manta glued Amidamaru's tombstone back together. Just another reason to show that Yoh was good.

The two joked for a moment, and then looked at the stars. I could already see the obvious friendship growing, and I'll admit, I became jealous. In a moment of thoughtless recklessness, I stood at exactly the same moment that Manta turned his head around. I saw his eyes widen.

"Yoh!" he urged, pointing his good arm at me. "That's the girl I was telling you about!"

Yoh turned around, his gaze turning questioning as he obviously recognized me from the bridge yesterday.

Without waiting for him to say anything, I jumped from the roof and ran down the cemetery steps into the night.


	2. Mosuke

**DISCLAIMER: I still don't own Shaman King. The anime would be longer. At least it exists! 3**

_Let's see what's on the agenda for this A/N... Hm. Well, I know that sign language (at least American, I can't say for all) is not like regular English. English word order is "The dog ran," and I'm pretty sure sign language is "ran dog" or something like that. It's been a while since I did any sign language at all, and I was an AMATEUR to begin with. But for this story, I'm having Tori's sign language be "in perfect English" so to speak._

Remember, this is normal text and "speaking."

_This is regular thought._

_'This is sign language and mouthing, remember to pay attention to ze single quotes!'_

_**'This is telpathy :P'**_

**Two: Mosuke**

"…Shamans exist all over the world," Manta was saying as I peered around the shrine. He was reading from that big book he was always carrying around.

He and Yoh talked for a little bit, but I could only make out their voices. After what happened the other night, I didn't want to get too close to them. But I just couldn't go away completely.

"What's a shaman?" I heard Manta ask.

"Me," Yoh answered, jerking his thumb at himself.

Manta stood. "I'll hit you," he warned, waving his book rather threateningly - or, as threateningly as he could. I didn't think Manta could hurt a fly if he tried.

They talked a little more, and then Yoh stood up and dusted off the seat of his pants and began walking.

"Why did you come to Tokyo in the first place?" Manta asked, turning after him.

"I came to gather partners," Yoh said, looking out over the graveyard and the city. "A shaman's level is mostly determined by the strength of the spirits who aid him."

I found myself nodding at his words. But Yoh didn't know about furyoku yet, or how to oversoul his spirit. That was where the rest of a shaman's strength came from. Yoh would have to learn that soon once Silva and the others came.

"In this city, I'm sure I can meet a powerful spirit," Yoh continued. He turned to the spirit of Amidamaru, extending his hand. "Be my partner, Amidamaru."

Amidamaru's jaw dropped, and Manta just about fell over. I wanted to laugh at their expressions.

"You want me…to join you?" Amidamaru asked, almost incredulously.

Yoh smiled. "Yeah, you're skill with the sword is amazing. If you-"

Amidamaru stood. "I refuse. It was only a coincidence that your goal was the same as mine," he said coldly. "Besides that, I have no reason to help you. I have no intention of leaving this place." With that, the great samurai turned and faded away.

I frowned. Poor Yoh, it wasn't a good feeling to be rejected. Especially by someone you admired - at least, that was what I'd heard. I was definitely not skilled with people. I almost stepped out from behind the shrine to help him before I remembered that I wasn't supposed to give any sort of aid to shamans in their official matches, if they were trying to find a spirit, or give them directions to Patch Village. It was the rules.

The two left, and I followed them at a distance; I could feel Nix's disapproval as he flew behind me, palpable in the heat he radiated.

'_**I make the decisions, Nix,' **_I told him. He huffed in response, but said nothing.

I followed them back to the river, where Manta told Yoh off for trying to get the 'devil' on his team. I listened to them from under the bridge on the grassy bank where they couldn't spot me but I could see their shadows dancing across the water.

After Manta was finished, I saw Yoh's shadow straighten up. "He looked really strong…I guess I'm going to make him my main spirit after all!"

"Were you listening at all?" I could imagine Manta pulling at his hair.

"Besides, it's only a legend." I silently agreed with Yoh. Legends were often tampered with as they were passed down. I knew all about that.

"You don't believe it?" Manta asked.

"I think you can ignore things like that," Yoh continued. "When I was one with him…I felt warm. When you become one with the spirit, you know its true form. I don't think Amidamaru is a bad person."

Suddenly, Yoh's face leaned down from over the railing and looked directly at me. "I don't think you're a bad person, either."

I was frozen; stunned. Like a deer caught in the headlights. I wasn't supposed to be spotted like this, but I couldn't bring myself to move.

"Who are you talking to?" Manta asked, too short to look over the railing.

"I'm Yoh. Who are you?" Yoh smiled and waved.

I didn't move. If I wasn't mute, I didn't think I could speak if I wanted to.

"It's all right," Yoh soothed. "I believe you're the one who helped Manta, right?"

"That girl?" Manta asked loudly, still oblivious.

Slowly, I nodded. What the hell was I still doing here? How could I have been caught?

Yoh frowned slightly. "When I saw you on the bridge the other day, you spoke, but now you're not. Did something happen?"

Why wasn't I running away? '_I'm mute_,' I mouthed, also using sign language.

"What's she saying?" Manta asked. I saw his hand flailing out over the water through the bars of the railing.

"She's not saying anything, Manta," Yoh answered. "She can't speak." He had never taken his eyes off of me. "You spoke the other day. Are you a shaman?"

In response, I took Nix (against his will) and converted him to his spirit ball mode. Hesitantly, I held out my hand, showing Yoh, before I pushed Nix into my chest.

"I can't control my vocal cords," I said, just loudly enough for Yoh to hear me. "But Nix can."

"What's your name?" Yoh asked.

"Tori," I answered stupidly. I was surprised that Nix was allowing me to do this.

'_**I can't believe I'm doing this,' **_he whispered in my mind begrudgingly. _'__**But I won't allow you to say anything that might tell them about just exactly who we are.'**_

'_**I wouldn't dream of it,' **_I replied.

Yoh smiled. "So, how long have you been following us?"

I could hear the unspoken _why _in his question, but I didn't answer that. "Since I saw that you were a shaman too. About a week."

…If I was a normal person, I think I'd be labeled as a stalker. But it was part of my job.

"Why don't you come out from under there?" Yoh asked. "It's warm out in the sun."

Slowly, I edged out from under the bridge until I could see Manta. He was staring at me, his eyes lingering on my unusually red hair.

I couldn't stand to see them stare at me like this. "I have to go," I choked out; usually, when Nix spoke for me, I didn't stammer, but if my telepathic signal was confusing, so were my words. I turned and ran up the slope and into the streets.

"We'll see you later!" Yoh called after me.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

I am so stupid. I can't believe I did that. What was I thinking? Was I that lonely that I would risk my job and my life to have a friend? I could have been risking the entire world, for if I became friends with Yoh I was almost sure he wouldn't be able to accept my aid if he became the Shaman King.

It was the next day, and I was still brooding over my actions. I was pacing in beside the river. It was a beautiful day once again; the sun was shining, and the river was running along at its slow pace. But I, I could not stop pacing.

Hao's twin and Manta had such an obvious, easygoing friendship that I was jealous. I wanted a friendship like that, but I couldn't have a completely honest and open one like they did. It could never happen. Plus, I was too afraid.

"Hey! Tori!"

I froze from my pacing and looked up to see Yoh and Manta jogging towards me (with Manta's short legs, it was more like a sprint to keep up with Yoh). How hadn't I sensed them coming?

"Hey Tori," Yoh repeated, slowing to a stop. "What's up? Are you merged with your spirit?"

I shook my head, mouthed '_no_,' and signed at the same time. I was used to Nix speaking for me, but I didn't like it; it made my throat sore. I rarely talked even when I was united with Nix, and most times my answers would be short and to the point. Besides, my muteness was supposed to keep me from talking; not that I ever had, or ever even really _wanted _to.

"Wanna come with us?" Yoh asked. "We're going to the museum to see Amidamaru's sword."

I hesitated. Then I nodded and signed my agreement. It's not like I was going to offer to help Yoh get Amidamaru as his spirit; I was just coming along for the ride.

What the hell was I getting myself into?

Yoh smiled. "Let's go, then." He led the way and I walked alongside him as Nix perched on my shoulder; Manta trotted along between us.

He looked up at me, seeming to be slightly embarrassed. "Thanks for helping me the other day. I'm Oyamada Manta."

I shrugged, blushing slightly and not knowing how to deal with a thank-you. '_It was nothing_,' I signed before I remembered that they probably couldn't understand me.

Yoh looked at me, confused, but Manta nodded. "I took a sign language class once. I can't remember it all, but I'm pretty sure you meant 'It was nothing.'"

I nodded, smiling. I knew Manta was a genius.

"Yeah, but I can't really understand you," Yoh laughed. "We'll have to get you a whiteboard or something to write on while I lean how to understand hand signals."

I blinked. Yoh sounded like he really wanted to be my friend if he wanted to learn sign language. '_It's easy_,' I signed back. '_Once you get the hang of it.'_

Yoh looked bewildered, and Manta laughed as he relayed the message.

"Are you from around here, Tori?" Yoh asked, and I knew he was taking in my blue eyes and red hair that was tied in its usual long ponytail with the golden ribbon, with two flaming locks framing my face. I shook my head. Originally, I was born in America.

"Why are we going to see Amidamaru's sword, anyway?" Manta asked.

"Because I want to know more about Amidamaru," Yoh answered.

"I think you should just give up," Manta advised. He turned to me. "What do you think, Tori?"

Inside, I froze, but outside I kept walking. What I respond might be viewed as helping, and I wasn't allowed to help Yoh get a spirit. In reply, I shrugged.

Yoh chuckled, and his eyes caught sight of a building up ahead. "Is that the museum?"

Manta nodded. "Yeah, Harusame is displayed in there."

We walked up to the front door, and Manta cursed. "It's closed?"

Suddenly, a creaking sound came from behind, and we turned to see an old man, probably the janitor of the place, sitting there on his bicycle. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Do you want to go inside?"

"Yes, please," Yoh confirmed.

The man hopped off his bicycle and came up to the door and unlocked it with his key, leading us inside.

"Sorry for coming when it's closed," Manta apologized.

"I can't just send you back now, can I?" the old man asked.

I looked around at the displays. It was a rather run-down museum, but the displays were pretty cool. There was an old outfit of samurai armor fitted onto a dummy, and glass shelves housed antiquities.

"Um…about Harusame…" Yoh began, turning to the old man while I walked forward to the exhibits.

The old man chuckled. "Harusame will be happy."

"The katana will be happy?" Manta asked in confusion.

I stopped at one exhibit and read the kanji that proclaimed the dingy sword in front of me to be Harusame itself.

"What did you mean, 'Harusame will be happy'?" Manta repeated as the two of them came up beside me and peered at the katana.

"They say Harusame sheds tears at night," the janitor explained. "People can even hear sniffling sounds. A katana is the spirit of a samurai, after all. There must be a strong bond between Amidamaru and his sword. I'd like for his sword to be placed next to his tombstone." The man cleared his throat. "Well, at least someone came by. Why don't you be Harusame's companion, in place of Amidamaru?" he asked Yoh. "Harusame would be happy."

With that, the man turned and left us to stare at the sword.

I, for one, could feel a strong presence of a spirit, and knew that we must not be alone. But I didn't alert the others. For now, I was only going to communicate when spoken to.

"Even if you're a shaman, you can't talk to katanas, right?" Manta asked in a sort of nervous amusement.

"Hm…I don't know," Yoh said, turning to sit down.

I made a giggling motion as Manta freaked out a bit, my breath sounding odd as it escaped without any voice-made laughter. I could tell Yoh and Manta noticed it, but they did their best to ignore the strangeness about it.

"Forget about it," Yoh told Manta. "Anyways, don't you want to see when Harusame cries?"

Manta mumbled an incoherent reply, and Yoh spoke. "We'll wait and see."

I walked around the museum for a little while before coming back to see Yoh and Manta still waiting. I wondered how long they could hold up for. I knew I could wait, and Yoh could wait, but Manta was impatient. I sat down on the cushion-couch and relaxed, knowing that this would take a long time.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Hours later, me and Yoh were still sitting there while Manta dozed, using his book as a pillow. Part of me wanted to pull the book out from under him and read it, but I didn't want to wake him up.

A sudden grumbling sound caught my attention, and both I and Manta looked at Yoh, and Manta whimpered a bit in fright.

Yoh rubbed his stomach. "I'm hungry. Wanna go buy something?"

Manta fell off the cushion-couch while I did my breathy giggle again. Though I was still nervous about being with them, I had to admit they were amusing.

"Are you trying to use me as a slave?" Manta asked, standing up.

"Actually, I don't have any money," Yoh admitted sheepishly. "Do you have any, Tori?"

I shook my head. Not enough to buy all of us something.

Manta got angry and started ranting at Yoh, but a sudden sound interrupted him and he froze. We all looked over at the glass case to see a pool of water collecting on the ground.

"I-it's crying!" Manta exclaimed, trembling as he hid behind the couch. "Harusame is crying!"

Yoh stood up calmly. "Look carefully. You can see it, right Tori? It's not Harusame that's crying."

He didn't look at me, but I nodded. Above Harusame's display sat the massive hunched figure of a man. On top of all his muscles, his head looked tiny as they leaked tears onto the floor.

"It…it showed itself!" Manta screeched, flailing his arms almost comically.

The spirit took a surprised breath and looked up, tears still in his eyes. "W-what? You can see me?"

Yoh only stared while Manta stuttered a "Yeah," and I nodded.

The spirit turned around and wiped at his eyes. "This isn't good… I'm embarrassed that you saw me like this."

"You don't have to be embarrassed," Yoh calmed. "When someone cries, there's a good reason for it."

I nodded, and even though the spirit couldn't _see_ it, I knew he could sense it. I could communicate with spirits through something like telepathy, even if they spoke a different language than me. And I could share this information with fellow shamans, because, well, it would make sense for a shaman to be able to communicate with any spirit. But I couldn't let them know that I could communicate with _anything_, really, through telepathy. That could jeopardize my job - my life, even. Questions were bad.

The spirit turned around, becoming hostile. "What's going on? Who are you?"

"I'm Yoh, and these are my friends Manta and Tori," Yoh continued; Manta waved nervously while I just held up my hand in greeting. "Tori's mute, so she's quiet."

Someone else might've found Yoh's add-on offensive, but I wanted to laugh.

The spirit crossed his arms. "I'm Mosuke, a sword smith."

Yoh chuckled. "Mosuke is an old name."

Mosuke growled and shook his fist. "Of course it is; it's six hundred years old!"

I tipped my head to the side. **'**_**Six hundred years? That's the same era as Amidamaru!'**_

Manta started speaking just after my thought was processed, but Mosuke looked at me, eyes wide. "You know Amidamaru?"

Yoh and Manta looked confused. "She didn't speak…" Manta pointed out.

Nix appeared on my shoulder. "She may not be able to speak to you, but she can speak to spirits." Nix rarely spoke aloud by himself, but I was grateful for his help. I'd have to keep a tighter lid on my thoughts - I didn't like drawing attention to myself.

"Makes sense." Yoh nodded, and then turned to Mosuke. "We know Amidamaru a little. Why are you haunting Harusame? I thought this was Amidamaru's katana."

Mosuke bowed his head, shadowing his face. "I forged this sword."

"No way!" said Manta, standing up from behind the cushion. "Then Amidamaru…"

"Yes, I know Amidamaru…" Mosuke whispered. "I was the one…who killed him."

"You killed the devil?" Manta screamed, incredulous.

"Idiot!" Mosuke yelled, and I flinched slightly while Manta screeched again. Yoh just stood there, saying nothing.

Mosuke bowed his head again. "Don't you dare call him a devil. He…he's not like that…"

"Yeah," Yoh agreed. "Amidamaru isn't an evil being. Tell us, Mosuke. What happened six hundred years ago?"

Mosuke shed a few more tears that fell to the floor. "Amidamaru is…my only friend."

We listened to Mosuke tell us about the era six hundred years ago, about the wars and starvation and terror, about how he and Amidamaru survived through a living hell until they came to work for a shogun. Amidamaru was the shogun's samurai and Mosuke was his sword smith. They both served their shogun faithfully until Amidamaru received orders to kill Mosuke so that he could not make another katana like Harusame.

Of course, Amidamaru was completely opposed to the idea, but a samurai could not disobey his shogun without dishonoring himself. Amidamaru met Mosuke in secret and told him of the shogun's orders, and Mosuke agreed to take Harusame and make it a better katana than it already was. But they never saw each other again, and Mosuke never got to deliver Harusame to his friend.

I sniffed.

"If…if I didn't exist," Mosuke continued, "he wouldn't have died!"

I stiffened. Wishing you didn't exist wouldn't solve anything. Though I felt for Mosuke, I couldn't understand why he hadn't gone to Amidamaru, even without the sword. Men.

"Until I give him Harusame as I promised, I can't rest in peace!" Mosuke sobbed, tears rapidly falling from his face.

"Then go give it to him," Yoh urged.

Mosuke paused, and Manta was crying as well. "Amidamaru is waiting for Mosuke too!"

Oh. So that's why Mosuke hadn't gone. He hadn't known that Amidamaru was waiting for him. My bad. I sniffed again.

"I…I can't give Harusame to Amidamaru in this condition," Mosuke whispered. "After six hundred years…"

"Leave it to me!" Yoh declared, placing a hand on his chest. "Me and Tori are shamans. You can use my body, Mosuke, and we can repair Harusame."

Mosuke looked shocked. "Is that…possible?"

"C'mon, Mosuke!" Yoh called, raising his arm in the air and pulling Mosuke into his spirit ball form before merging with him. "_Hyoi Gattai!"_

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Amidamaru stared disbelievingly at the katana. "Harusame… Mosuke…?"

"Mosuke couldn't rest," Manta explained. "We found him and Yoh helped him repair Harusame."

"Yes…" Amidamaru whispered. "Only he could have made this."

"Mosuke said to say, 'I made you wait.' Or so he says." Yoh sheathed the katana. "Mosuke doesn't exist here anymore. He said he couldn't face you after making you wait so long."

Amidamaru laughed, and I saw tears form in his eyes. "That is just like Mosuke!"

Yoh smiled and placed the katana on the ground in front of Amidamaru's tombstone. "You can rest in peace, too! I'll leave this here," he said as he stood and turned around to walk away. "Later."

Amidamaru was shocked, and so was I. Quickly, Manta ran after Yoh; I turned to give Amidamaru a smile before running after them, too. After today, I had no doubts that I could become Yoh's and Manta's friend, but there was a limit to how far it could go.

I ran in front of Yoh to intercept him; I pointed to the steps on the other side of the shrine towards the distant hotel I was staying at and I gave the two of them a wave as I jogged away.

"See ya, Tori!" Yoh called while Manta waved and yelled a goodbye.

As I headed down the stairs, I shot a last look at Amidamaru; he was in a pillar of light, ready to depart to the next world. I smiled sadly. Yoh would have to find another spirit. And I couldn't help him.

Suddenly, I heard a yell, and I halted. I spun on the spot and ran back up the stairs to see that Ryu guy attacking Yoh and Manta. I narrowed my eyes. Just how many times did I have to kick this guy to keep him down?

I was about to run over there and beat some sense into him when I saw Amidamaru swoop down from the sky and merge with Yoh. Ryu swung down with his wooden sword, but Yoh slapped his palms onto the weapon and brought its travel to a halt. Yoh twisted the wooden weapon and sent Ryu spiraling away. Ryu's back hit the tree and he crashed to the ground, unconscious.

I came forward, clapping, as Amidamaru detached himself from Yoh. Yoh sent me a wave and turned to Amidamaru, folding his hands behind his head. "Thank you. You really helped me there."

Amidamaru kept silent.

"Aren't you going?" Yoh asked. "Mosuke is waiting for you."

"…It seems like I can't do that." Amidamaru turned his face skyward. "I would like to follow Mosuke, but it'll be a while before I can go to another world."

Yoh seemed to falter for a moment, then he smiled.

I smiled as well. Yoh could very well be on his way to becoming Shaman King.

Later, as I walked back to my hotel, I paused. Nix appeared beside me, alert and tensed. I looked around, but saw no one around me. I looked upwards, and tried not to appear startled when I saw a menacing silhouette standing against the sky, a long weapon in its hand. Without a doubt, this was another shaman that I would have to keep an eye on.

* * *

_Ren's in the next chapter! WOOOOOOT! *flails* Renrenrenrenrenren! *dashes away and runs in circles*_


	3. Ren

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King! Though I wish I did...**

_IT'S REN! Ren Ren Ren Ren Ren! *fangirl screams and runs around in circles* Ren. Is. My. Faveorite! *squeals* I want his hair, just for the hell of it._

_Hm. I'm not sure if I need notes for this chapter, just remmeber: _Normal text and "speaking," _thinking to Tori's-self, 'mouthing, signing, as well as written words,' **'and telepathy... though there's none in this chapter, I think o.O'**_

_Enjoy!_

**Three: Ren**

I sighed. It was far too hot, and for me that was saying something. My spirit was a phoenix. I liked warm weather. I was _built _for it. But this, this was like an oven. A _humid _oven, with steam being a constant, daring me to go back inside. But I wouldn't give up.

Manta sat beside me on the park bench, fanning himself with a magazine. He looked half-dead. This was a major difference from Yoh, though; the shaman looked like he was doing a dance routine or something to fight the heat. I liked Yoh, but sometimes I had to wonder about his sanity.

"Hey Yoh, Tori," Manta began, sounding like he was on the verge of heatstroke. "Last night I saw someone like you two."

I blinked and turned to Manta questioningly, grabbing the little whiteboard that Yoh had bought for me in case I wanted to ask something. Could it be that there were already more shamans coming to Tokyo even though the Fights hadn't yet begun?

"What do you mean?" Yoh asked, not even bothering to take a break from 'beating the heat.' "I don't have a twin brother!"

I held back a laugh of bitter irony. Yoh was clueless. And Hao was basically all-knowing. I wasn't supposed to be biased, but I didn't want Hao to win the Tournament. I could respect his reasoning, but killing humans wasn't the answer. But my opinion didn't matter, anyways. I was only supposed to watch, and help the Shaman King. Nothing else.

"Not like a twin brother," Manta mumbled.

"Then like a twin sister?" Yoh panted.

I thought of a feminine Hao and was both amused and sickened.

"No, not that, either," Manta mumbled again.

I grabbed the dry-erase marker and wrote on my whiteboard and held it up to Manta. '_Like a shaman?'_

Manta nodded. "Yeah, Tori, like a shaman." He turned back to Yoh. "What are you doing, anyway?"

"Fighting the heat!"

"Really? I thought you were doing your shaman training."

Yoh? Training? I wanted to laugh out loud. The only person who could get this lazy lump of shaman to train was Anna; from what I'd heard from Yohmei, Anna was one bossy itako. And deadly.

Yoh laughed. "I haven't even done anything like training lately!"

Manta moaned and laid his head back on the bench, looking up at the leaves on the trees. I looked up with him for a moment before turning to look back at Yoh. "Even though it's as hot as hell, you're really energetic. I don't feel like doing anything since it's summer," Manta mumbled.

"If you run from the heat it makes it worse!" Yoh pointed out. "But if you stand up to it, you'll live happily!" With that, Yoh promptly fell in a pool of sweat onto the ground.

Again, I really was starting to question Yoh's sanity.

()()()()()()()()()()()

Yoh guzzled down a pitcher of water as we sat in the ice cream parlor, slamming the glass onto the table. "I feel alive again!" he cried.

'_You shouldn't try to fight the heat again,' _I signed to him - I'd been teaching him sign language, and he was a quick study. It was a heck of a lot easier for me than writing down everything.

He chuckled. "Maybe not today, Tori."

"Thank you for waiting." A woman came out from behind a curtain and gave us our strawberry ice cream before leaving us in peace - there were four cups in total.

"If you eat both of those, Yoh, you're going to get a stomachache," Manta pointed out dully.

Yoh pulled out a mortuary tablet and placed it on the table. "One of them is for him."

I nodded, knowing exactly who Yoh meant, but Manta had another one of his (adorable) freak-fests. "A mortuary tablet? You're not supposed to bring that from home!"

"I know! I made this for Amidamaru," Yoh explained. He tapped his spoon on the glass, and Amidamaru appeared, pulling another shriek from Manta.

"Let's eat these before they melt!" Yoh declared, and I eagerly dug in. Ice cream was one of my favorite treats, even if I didn't usually like anything cold.

While I was eating, Yoh and Manta kept talking. "Now that we're friends, I like hanging out with Amidamaru," Yoh explained.

"I can get around easier in the mortuary tablet," Amidamaru added. "It's very convenient." As one, he and Yoh laughed. I smiled at the (yet another) easy bond that Yoh had made.

'_How is it convenient?'_ I signed.

It took Yoh a second to realize what I meant. He grinned. "I don't need an alarm clock, for one. Amidamaru'll wake me up by cursing me. When I'm lost, he helps me find my way. If some guy threatens me, I'm not scared at all. And at night when it's scary to go to the bathroom, he follows me there."

I nearly spit out my ice cream as I erupted into a fit out soundless giggles, and I covered my mouth with my hands. Yoh laughed at my reaction.

"That sounds like fun," Manta said, smiling.

()()()()()()()()()()()

That night, after I had bid Yoh and Manta farewell, I took to the streets. I wanted to find that shaman that I had seen earlier, and that Manta had seen as well. I knew the names of a lot of shamans in Japan (I actually knew the family names of most of the great shamanic clans in the world), but I'd never met most of them. But with my job, I wanted to at least see all of them, at least the ones coming for the Shaman Fights.

The streets weren't as busy as they were in the daytime, but the occasional car or pedestrian would pass me by as I wandered. Nix stayed perched on my shoulder, ready for unity or oversoul at a moment's notice.

As I walked along, I made my way towards a busier intersection that died down nearly immediately. My features brightened when I noticed that Manta was at the crosswalk, waiting for the light to change. I was about to run up to him when I noticed the boy that stood next to him; compared to Manta, he was tall, especially considering the hairstyle he sported (I recognized it as a tongari), but if he stood next to anyone else, the boy would look short. He wore a mustard-yellow jacket and incredibly short black shorts.

I froze, recognizing his outline.

I couldn't hear them, but tongari-kid must have said something, because Manta edged away from him. Then, the boy stepped out into the street without waiting for the light to change.

"It's still red!" Manta called as I dashed forward, thankful that my body was built for running as fear burst in my chest. This idiot was walking out into the street! Cocky bastard, he was going to be killed!

A truck came speeding down the road, honking. The boy turned his head to meet it, as if daring it to come closer.

I didn't stop running. I couldn't stop, I couldn't let this stranger get killed in front of me. Not by a car. I ran to him, and it was right before I knocked into him that he saw me, but it was too late for him. I pushed him out of the way of the truck, and I myself jumped out of its path just as it barreled past.

Immediately, the boy turned on me. "What the hell!" he spat, glaring at me with cold yellow eyes. I couldn't remember ever seeing a person so angry. "I do not need help! I am not an infant that needs to be babied!" Roughly, he pushed me to the ground and whipped out a weapon that I recognized to be a Kwan Dao - a Chinese weapon.

"Tori!" Manta called, starting to come forward, but a sudden honking sound interrupted him.

Angrily, the boy turned to the truck that, like its predecessor, was barreling down the street with no hope of stopping in time. Suddenly, the boy raised his Kwan Dao, and his Chinese spirit appeared behind him. The boy slashed out, splitting the truck in half. The halves kept barreling down the street, metal screeching on tar, shrapnel flying everywhere; luckily, none of this hit me or the boy.

There was an explosion behind us, but I barely heard it as the boy turned his golden gaze upon me and raised his Kwan Dao. "Annoying pest," he muttered, appearing to mull over my mortality, his eyes unforgiving.

Nix screeched at him, appearing to crouch in front of me defensively as I sat on the ground, waiting for the boy to end my life.

The glare never left the boy's eye, but after a moment he backed down for some reason and turned to face Manta, but spoke loud enough for me to hear him. "I am the only shaman needed."

"Who…are you?" Manta asked, petrified.

"For now, Tao Ren," the boy revealed, and my eyes widened. "Soon, you shall call me Shaman King."

"Shaman King?" Manta repeated.

Ren nodded slightly, the Chinese spirit fading away. He sent me one last glare before he walked past me, away from the wreckage and into the night. "The moon fades and then hides itself," he said, loud enough for Manta and me to hear. "After that, a moment of darkness…Tomorrow." And then he was gone.

Manta was frozen for a moment, and then he ran out to me, kneeling beside me. "A-are you all right?"

I nodded, standing up. I was half-lying. I was all right physically, but I felt sick inside. Tao Ren… The Tao family was notorious for its bloody history, and I could see why. Just thinking about the boy's cold golden gaze sent terrible shivers down my spine.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Tao Ren?" Yoh asked as we sat on the grassy slope near the bridge where he had first spoken to me. "Nope, I've never heard of that name. Have you, Tori?"

I put on a thoughtful look. I didn't want to tell Yoh because the information might lead to some tricky questions, but I didn't want to lie, either. I shrugged, and signed, '_I'm not sure_.'

"He's got to know you, though," Manta pointed out. He turned to me. "Did he seem to know you?"

I thought about him backing down when he saw Nix, but Ren couldn't know me or my spirit. We were a well-kept secret. At least, I _thought _we were a well-kept secret. The only ones outside the Patch who knew what I was were Yohmei, Kino, and Mikihisa (though they only knew that I helped the Shaman King, not exactly what my 'powers' and past were - though, I wasn't sure about Kino). And Hao, but technically he was a Patch. There _might've _been a few others, but I couldn't remember right now.

I shrugged again, furrowing my brows. Another shudder went through me as I thought of the cold eyes.

"If you ask me," Amidamaru said, stroking his chin thoughtfully - and rather relaxed, I might add, something I wasn't even _close _to feeling, "that kid's spirit is a Chinese warrior."

"When did you get here?" Manta screeched. For once, I was annoyed at Manta's outburst.

"This is very interesting," Amidamaru continued, as if Manta hadn't spoken at all. "How is his skill?"

"How should I know?" Manta asked.

I thought about that, too. I could _definitely _beat him if I oversouled Nix, but I wasn't allowed to do oversoul until after the Patch handed out the Oracle Bells - and once Tao Ren could oversoul, I was sure he'd be able to beat me. I might have a chance if I was just merged with Nix - a chance to make it out _alive_. That Ren kid was scary, stronger than any shaman I'd seen in a while who didn't even know about oversouls yet. He could never compare to Hao, of course, but few people could.

Manta looked down. "He just looked really strong."

Yoh sat up. "Stronger than Amidamaru?"

Then I realized that they must be talking about the spirit. I'd seen deadlier spirits before (Spirit of Fire, for one), but he seemed pretty ferocious.

Manta looked up into the sky. "Somehow he seemed bigger and more powerful."

Amidamaru brightened. "I'd like to have a duel with him sometime!" he exclaimed.

"What for?" Yoh asked. "There aren't many who are more skilled than you."

Amidamaru blushed sheepishly. "Is that so?"

Normally, Yoh's relaxed air might've calmed me, but right now it was irking me. I myself didn't have to necessarily worry about Tao Ren, since I wouldn't even have the chance of fighting anyone in an official match in the Tournament. I was more worried about my friends. I flinched at a mental picture of Ren slicing Yoh in half with that Kwan Dao of his.

Manta stood. "I'm trying to explain and you guys are joking around!"

"It's all right, Manta," Yoh soothed.

"But he sliced a truck in two and could have killed Tori!"

Yoh looked toward me. "If this kid wanted a fight, he could have his pick of either of us. Did he act like he wanted to fight you? You did try to save him, even though I'm pretty sure he didn't need it."

I was impatient and ticked off. Inside I was dripping with sarcasm, but it couldn't really be transferred into my hands as I signed, '_Oh, yeah, he only backed off because I'm mute,' _but I think Yoh got the message because he frowned for a moment.

Yoh turned back towards the river, and a small smile graced his face. "A bad person can't see spirits."

I could easily shoot back at him that the person could want what was best for the world but would be going about it all the wrong way, or have a terrible vision for the world but could be as nice as a frigging flower the rest of the time, but I did nothing.

"I want to find out what kind of person he is," Yoh continued.

That was it. Yoh was insane.

Manta seemed to deflate. "Well…if you say it's all right." I was about to stand up and walk away when he added, "By the way, what's a Shaman King?"

"I'd like to know that as well!" Amidamaru's face brightened with interest.

Yoh looked skyward. "Shaman King…" He laughed and said nothing more.

I was done with this. I stood and waved a stiff goodbye to them before walking away, trying not to stalk off. I needed some air and some space.

()()()()()()()()()()()

The sun was setting as I walked along the side of the street. Traffic was deadly, and after last night I felt that I'd always look both ways three times before I crossed the street. I wasn't going to have to cross the street to get to the other side, though; there was one of those bridges connected to two buildings over the lanes of traffic. Good thing I wasn't afraid of heights.

I was about to walk up the stairs to the bridge when I heard a familiar voice. I looked up, and there, on the middle of the bridge, was Tao Ren, glaring out at the city street.

Though my job meant that I was supposed to be unafraid of the shamans that would participate in the Shaman Fight, I was frozen for a moment before I hurried along the sidewalk, forgetting about the bridge completely.

()()()()()()()()()()()

That night, I walked along the roofs of the houses and on the ledges of the side-streets on my way to the cemetery; I felt too high-strung to walk in the streets where someone could jump down and corner me. I needed to just sit and relax and forget about Tao Ren. I hadn't been afraid like this since… well, ever, I don't think. Being afraid was not something I liked. It was not something I did on a regular basis. I could definitely defend myself against Ren if I was forced to (one of my exceptions about the "No fighting contestants with oversoul" rule was in the case of self-defense or other similar things), but I didn't want to have to do that. I could fight, but I would rather not.

At the cemetery, I walked up the steps towards the shrine. I couldn't stay in a low position while I was feeling like this; I'd feel too vulnerable. I was a lot like Nix in this way. Like the bird, I wanted to be high-up.

When I reached the top of the steps, I heard voices, and I silently cursed whoever it was who was disturbing me. I was definitely not in the mood. I turned around and saw, with _oh-so-much _delight, that Ryu and his gang were here, down below me, in the main section of the cemetery.

Ryu pulled off his helmet, and I could see that his hair was growing back. Too bad for the rest of the world, soon we might have to look at a full, greasy pompadour again.

I couldn't hear what they were saying from here, nor did I want to. All afternoon I had been just short of shaking with tension, and I didn't think I could take much more without destroying something.

Apparently, Ryu was tensed as well, because he suddenly screeched and threw an air conditioning unit to there ground, where it cracked and let loose steam. He turned to his lackeys, and I heard him shout something about the 'Best place.'

I watched as they conversed, wanting to just drive them out of here. I was about to stomp down the steps when I realized that Ryu must've said something particularly touching, because his lackeys were tearing up.

"You're in the way."

I froze. Though I couldn't hear Ryu and his gang, I could hear this voice, clear as day and as cold as ice. Instinctively, I took Nix and silently merged with him so I could hear and react better.

"Who the hell are you?" Ryu screeched, turning to the entrance of the graveyard where Ren stood, his hands in his pockets.

"Move, you're in the way," Ren repeated.

If I wasn't afraid of Ren, I'd be afraid _for _him. One short, toothpick-thin kid against nine muscled-up freaks seemed completely unfair, but I was suddenly worried for Ryu's gang (not necessarily Ryu himself, mind you).

A couple of the gang members shot a few words back at Ren, who glared at them.

"I said you're in the way. Didn't you hear me?" he snarled.

Ryu cracked his knuckles, obviously underestimating his opponent. "Looks like we'll have to hurt you to make you understand."

Ren glanced at one of their motorcycles. "Parasites," he muttered, kicking over the bike, much to the protest of one of Ryu's lackeys.

"You defile this world," Ren continued.

My eyes widened. Ren was sounding…just like Hao.

Ryu screamed, and as one he and his gang jumped at Ren. Easily, Ren deflected them all, sending them crashing to the ground before whipping out his Kwan Dao.

"I will exterminate all the parasites," he declared solemnly, his weapon glinting in the moonlight.

He raised his Kwan Dao to stab at Ryu, and even though I didn't like either of them, I couldn't just let someone be killed. I just about flew down the steps, but I knew it was hopeless. I'd never get there-

"Die," I heard Ren mutter, and he stabbed forward with his Kwan Dao, but his attack was stopped when Yoh grabbed the end of the weapon.

I stopped on a step, sighing with relief. But then, I wondered how Yoh had gotten here, and why. I must have missed something, because when Yoh said, "You're a dangerous guy," Ren turned to him and responded with a smirk in his voice. "You came."

Yoh turned to Ryu. "Ryu, can you leave us alone for a bit?"

Ryu nodded, scared out of his mind, and crawled backwards behind a clump of bushes.

"What is the meaning of this?" Yoh continued to Ren.

Ren pulled his Kwan Dao out of Yoh's grip. "How much is his life worth to you?" he asked, glaring. "Even if I ask, you probably wouldn't know. That's what I'd expect from someone who calls his spirits 'friends.' To a shaman, a spirit is just a tool to use its powers. To call a spirit 'friend' is idiotic."

I stiffened. My heart was pounding in fear, but also in adrenaline. This kid was messed up. I wasn't supposed to be biased, but I had long since been so. I couldn't do anything if this kid happened to become Shaman King, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

Yoh was glaring. "No bad person can see spirits. That's why I know you're not."

Lies. Lies, lies, _LIES! _Ren didn't have a good bone in his body! Not one speck of soul was in there, not from what I could see. I'd only known of Ren for a day, but I could tell what he was; not to mention, his family was… terrible!

I couldn't remember ever being this livid.

"But to treat spirits as tools is something I can't forgive," Yoh continued.

"Bason!" Ren cried, and his spirit appeared behind him.

Yoh picked up Ryu's wooden sword and turned to where Ryu hid in the bushes, asking for permission. Nervous as hell, Ryu agreed.

"Amidamaru!" Yoh called, and the samurai appeared behind him.

Ren gripped his Kwan Dao. "I'll show you how to use a tool."

"I told you, they're friends," Yoh said, almost dangerously.

I couldn't do anything but watch as they merged with their spirits. I didn't want them to fight, because I knew the battle would be bloody. This wasn't an official fight, so I could try to stop it if I wanted to, but I was frozen with fear.

The two suddenly sprung at each other, and the wooden sword met the staff of the Kwan Dao as each fighter tried to gain the upper hand. Yoh tried to slash at Ren, but the boy jumped in the air and prepared to stab at Yoh as he landed. Yoh dodged, and the two exchanged blows, neither managing to hit the other. They came to a near standstill as they struggled against each other.

"This world has been defiled too much!" Ren declared, sneering into Yoh's face. "I am going to cleanse it! I am the chosen to become Shaman King!" His eyes narrowed even more. "I am the only shaman needed. So you must disappear!"

They broke away from each other, and Ren braced himself, sending rapid stabs toward Yoh. Yoh managed to dodge them, and he dashed forward to strike at Ren, who blocked the attack. Yoh tried to strike again, but Ren unbalanced him, sending him falling backwards.

"_Chuuka Zanmai!"_ Ren exclaimed, sending out more of the lightning-fast stabs.

Yoh didn't try to dodge the attack. Instead, he struck the end of the Kwan Dao and deflected the attack, causing one of the motorcycles Ryu's gang had brought to split in half.

Ren slowly stood up straight as Yoh ran a safe distance away. Ren glared at him. "Playtime is over."

With just those words, I was brought out of my daze. With uneven but determined steps, I started back down the stairs.

"Bason!" Ren cried. "_Hyoi_, one hundred percent!"

Bason's eyes glowed, and he and Ren flew across the ground and struck Yoh, knocking him back into a tombstone that broke in half. Yoh spiraled through the air and landed ten feet away, gasping in pain.

Yoh struggled to all fours. "What was that…?"

He looked up to see Ren standing smugly above him.

I was running now, but they seemed so far away…

"Have fun with your 'friend' in the other world."

Ren smirked like a madman as Yoh stood.

"_Chuuka Zanmai!" _

He struck Yoh again, and for a moment all was still, even me as I stood a few feet behind Ren, who was oblivious to me.

Then, a gush of blood spurted from Yoh's shoulder, and he fell to the ground, defeated.

Suddenly, I was moving, my panicked thoughts causing Nix to scream for me. I think it made Ren tense up, but I was only sure of my fists moving toward his face. Easily, he grabbed my hand and stopped it. His golden eyes were narrowed.

"You," he spat. "I should have killed you."

I was frozen, like an animal caught in a viper's glare. He smirked. "You're afraid."

Abruptly, I brought my knee up to hit him where it hurts, but Ren yanked on my arm, twisting me and pushing me to the ground. Pain shot up my arm, but I didn't think it was broken.

Then I realized that I hadn't landed on my arm. Ren had sliced at it.

I could sense that he was going to stab at me, and I rolled away; instead of hitting my stomach, Ren had put a slight gash in my side.

I was about to stand up when we were suddenly surrounded by light, and someone grabbed my hand just before everything went black.


	4. Presence

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King! **

_Hola. :3 I don't know meh schedule tomorrow, so I thought I'd be nice and update today ^_^_

_Oh, I really just dislike this chapter. POSSIBLE MARY-SUE ALERT! *sirens wail* D8 So sorry. Two of Tori's "powers" are revealed in this chapter. Another little mystery about her is brought up. Er, maybe more than one, now that I think about it._

_I feel like Ren might've been OOC a bit, but for plot purposes, Tori needs more reasons to hate him. *pats Ren's tongari* Don't worry Ren, I'm all the girl you'll ever need._

_Ren: *glares*_

_:D Good Ren. *pats again*_

_Okies, again, I'm not satisfied with this chapter; I think I could've written it better. Oh well. There's always one (or more) sucky chap(s). Least we see Ren ^_^_

**Four: Presence**

When I woke up, it was dark outside the window. Wait…window?

I sat up, wincing at the pain in my side. I made to put my hand there, but I realized that it was covered in bandages, as was my entire torso. I wasn't wearing a shirt.

Someone else might think this was the least of their problems after waking up in what was obviously a hospital room, but I couldn't let anyone see what was on my back.

Nix was suddenly beside me. '_**It's covered,' **_he whispered into my mind. I let out a sigh of relief.

For the first time, I looked around the room. There was another bed, and in it laid Yoh, unconscious. Amidamaru floated beside him. The samurai gave me the briefest of sympathetic glances before turning back to his shaman. I understood and stayed silent.

My head felt somewhat foggy (had Ren hit me in the head?), and I was about to turn to Nix when Yoh suddenly stirred. He let out a rather sleepy groan and put his hand to his head as he sat up. His eyes were curious when he saw me. "Tori, what happened?"

It might've been more effective to actually merge with Nix and speak, but my throat was so sore it felt like it would never heal. '_I don't know_,' I signed slowly, both to show my confusion and to make sure that Yoh understood.

Yoh frowned. "I know that I'm here because I was fighting Ren, but what happened to you?"

I hesitated. '_I tried to fight him, too.' _

He shook his head, his eyes sleepy and dull but also rather reprimanding. "Don't do that again."

I signed to him again, but he shook his head in confusion and I looked for something to write on. On my bedside table sat my bag; I reached for it and pulled out the whiteboard. '_I couldn't help it.'_

Yoh shook his head again, this time in amusement. Suddenly, the door opened, and Manta came in. Yoh waved, and I beamed at the little shorty, glad to see that he wasn't hurt too.

"Yoh-kun! Tori-chan!" Manta exclaimed, hurrying to sit in the chair beside Yoh's bed. "Thank goodness you two are all right!"

"I don't remember much," Yoh just about chuckled. "But I heard that Ryu saved us?"

I frowned. I hadn't heard this. After I was hurt by Ren and saw all the light, I must've blacked out. Ren probably did hit me in the head at some point.

"Yeah!" Manta smiled. "Ryu's gang surrounded Ren and they took us here. Maybe Ryu's a good guy after all."

"Next time we see him, we should thank him," Yoh said, turning to me. I nodded, albeit a tidbit begrudgingly.

"The doctor said your wounds aren't anything too serious," Manta continued. "Just be careful." He turned to me. "He said that your side won't heal completely for a while, though, but it's not deep."

I nodded, but I wasn't too concerned. Once we were out of here, I would heal it myself.

Yoh smiled. "Amidamaru dodged the attack just in time."

"Please stop," Amidamaru begged, looking terrible. "It turned out like this…because of my lack of skill."

"Don't be gloomy because it didn't turn out the way you hoped it would," Yoh chastised gently. Already he was in a relaxed position. "I wasn't hurt too badly because you were there. Otherwise I'd be without an arm."

Manta turned to me. "You might be worse if Tori hadn't also been there. But what were you doing there?" he asked me.

'_I was trying to relax at the shrine',_ I admitted, signing.

Yoh looked to me. "Thank you, Tori. But don't do that again," he repeated.

I blushed a little at his thanks and nodded. I didn't exactly promise, though.

Manta turned back to Yoh. "Why did he attack you anyway?"

"He said it, didn't he?" Yoh asked, lying back down. "Because he's going to be the Shaman King, no other shamans are necessary."

"Even so, going after your life like that…"

I gave a clap for attention. Once I had it, I signed, '_I missed something the other day. What happened? Why were you at the cemetery?'_

"We met Ren out in the town," Yoh explained. "He called spirits tools and told me to meet him at the cemetery."

I glared. '_Idiot.' _

Yoh chuckled.

"Anyway," Manta continued. "He was trying to kill you. Is that accepted among shamans? Besides, just what _is _a Shaman King?"

I thought of Hao. Killing wasn't widely accepted. But it was embraced by some. And I knew about the Shaman King. Unless Hao or some of the Patch were in Japan, I was probably the one who knew most about it. In fact, I might actually know a little more. But I kept quiet.

Yoh stared at the ceiling. "I don't really know myself. When I was a kid, my grandfather told me about it once…I think it was ten years ago.

"He was training me, even though I was only about four, I think. I was trying to summon an earth spirit, but I couldn't do it. I didn't want to become a shaman. He called me a failure because I could only see spirits. He said a bunch of stuff about people forgetting about spirits, and that humans needed a clear path. They needed a god, the King of Spirits. And the only person who could meet the King of Spirits was the Shaman King; the savior."

I nodded, remembering how I myself had been in the King of Spirit's presence before. It'd been so long since I was last there. But the next time I went to see the Great Spirits, it would be just like before…

Yoh chuckled, bringing me back to the present. "I was pretty excited after I heard that. But my grandpa just laughed in my face and said you couldn't become Shaman King just by wanting to. But I said I wanted to become the Shaman King so that I could live every day lazily. So I started training, really hard."

As Yoh laughed, I saw Amidamaru's and Manta's jaws drop, and I let out a breathy giggle. To become Shaman King to live lazily was a pretty selfish motivation, but it was definitely better than others that I'd heard.

Yoh grinned and turned to me. "You must've heard about the Shaman King a long time ago. What would you do if you became it?"

I blinked. I couldn't remember anyone ever asking me that. It wasn't like I'd never thought about it before, but they were always hopeless fantasies. I could never become Shaman King - Queen, if you wanted to be technical. I blushed and decided to reveal the corny truth. '_I'd give everyone a voice.' _Figuratively, of course.

Yoh smiled. "I like that. That's cool."

Manta nodded, thoughtful. "Even living lazily would be better off than if that Tao Ren became Shaman King. Him and savior…I don't think there's any connection at all. I can't quite understand that tale of a savior, either. But if Shaman King is really savior… we have to stop that Tao Ren!"

I found myself agreeing and disagreeing at the same time. I didn't want Ren to become Shaman King, but there was nothing I could do about it. I wasn't allowed to interfere like that.

Yoh sat up. "I'll just have to become Shaman King and live easily for the rest of my life!" he declared with a grin and a laugh while his spirit's and his best friend's jaws dropped again. I just giggled along.

Suddenly, I tensed. For a moment, I had sensed another spirit in the area. After a second, I brushed it off. Right now I just wanted to ignore everything else and laugh.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

A little while later, Yoh tried to stand up and winced, groaning in pain.

"Are you okay, Yoh?" Manta asked concernedly.

"Of course not," Yoh answered. "It's wicked painful."

"Wouldn't it be better if you slept a bit more?" Manta urged, looking a little anxious. I agreed with him.

"I can't do that either. I don't want to cause trouble."

A sudden burst of shamanic energy caught my attention like a bell, and a chill rand down my spine. Ren was near…he was outside… I couldn't stop from letting out an involuntary shiver.

"I guess we have to go," Yoh said, walking to the window to look out. I stood up as well and walked over, knowing exactly what he was looking at but still tensing as Ren's golden eyes gleamed in the darkness.

Yoh said nothing, his gaze traveling to a setup of pipe clothesline outside, and I knew what he was thinking. I put a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to me, his eyes warning me to keep out of it.

I glared at him then went over to my nightstand, pulling my on shirt over my bandages, wincing a little as my arm protested; a nurse must have washed my clothes, because while the shirt was still slashed there wasn't any blood on it. I also saw my necklace on the table and slipped it on; I couldn't go anywhere without my feather charm.

I turned back to Yoh and my look told him that I was coming whether he liked it or not.

()()()()()()()()()()()

Manta and I watched from a distance behind a bush as Yoh and Ren stood apart from each other in the forest clearing, each holding their weapons. Earlier, while Yoh wasn't looking, I had merged with Nix; I would try my hardest not to interfere with their battle, but if Manta got hurt in the crossfire, I would never forgive myself for not being ready to help him.

Ren let out a huff of dark amusement. "Surely you don't think that using something longer would help, right?"

"So what?" Yoh asked, more menacing then I had ever seen him, the steel pole clutched in his hand.

Ren smirked. "It's laughable."

As if on a silent signal, both boys called out their spirits and merged with them, readying their weapons. Ren swung his Kwan Dao without restraint, slashing out as Yoh blocked the attacks. Ren suddenly slashed, slicing the steel pole apart.

"Thanks," Yoh said, tossing aside one half of the pole and readjusting his grip on the half he kept. "It's perfect now."

Ren smirked and lunged; Yoh jumped and slashed. Yoh kept attacking, causing Ren to back up as he blocked with his Kwan Dao. Yoh dashed forward, and Ren turned his Kwan Dao around and stabbed Yoh in the stomach with the other end.

Ren smirked and relaxed as Yoh kneeled on the ground in pain. "Looks like that's your best," he sneered. "I'm not even using thirty percent of my power."

Ren brought his Kwan Dao in front of Yoh's face. "A shaman who calls spirits a friend and can't control it…" He lifted his weapon. "You disgust me!"

Ren swung down, but Yoh jumped away towards the trees. Ren smirked and followed him, while Manta and I hurried after at a distance. We both couldn't stand not knowing what was happening.

As Ren slashed at the greenery in the forest, he spoke. "When a spirit merges into a shaman's body, two spirits exist simultaneously." He slashed a tree in half, following the sound of Yoh's feet. I wished he would stop talking. It felt like he was playing with Yoh. "One body with two wills…Being one with a stranger will-wise cannot be done…" He suddenly pounced. "Which is why, to use a spirit properly, you must use it one hundred percent as a tool!"

Yoh blocked the attack. "I told you, Amidamaru is my friend!" Yoh pushed Ren away and slashed, but Ren blocked the attack.

"I can use that samurai spirit," Ren muttered, smirking. He jumped back and then did a complicated slashing attack, thrusting his Kwan Dao forward beside Yoh's neck; a few leaves and branches fell down from the tree above him. Ren pulled away, and the tree fell to the ground completely between them.

"Hiding in the bushes and all…" Ren mused. "He's thinking quite well." He looked at Yoh sideways. "Thanks to that, I can't use Bason's blade as freely as I want…"

Suddenly, he jumped away from Yoh, and before I knew what was happening, I found a Kwan Dao in front of me and could feel breath on the back of my neck. Ren grabbed my good arm.

I saw Yoh freeze.

"Tori-chan!" Manta called.

I could tell Ren was smirking, and somehow I was able to hear him over the pounding of my heart in my ears. "Not so quick to run while your little girlfriend is in trouble, eh? What'd your other friend call her? _Tori-chan_?"

Through my fear, I quickly calculated that Ren was either going to kill me or use me to get Yoh out in the open. Probably both. In the back of my mind, a cynical, pompous thought knew that if Ren knew just what I was, he wouldn't dare to do this.

"What's wrong?" Ren sneered to me quietly. "Not going to scream? Are you only able to scream when someone else is about to die? Is that it? Or are you just too afraid to speak?"

I couldn't let him hurt Yoh. I focused Nix's energy where Ren held my arm.

Ren hissed and jumped away from me, holding his hand in such a way that I knew I had burned him. Immediately, Yoh jumped forward. Ren recovered quickly, however, and jumped into the air, thrusting his red palm outward as he stabbed at Yoh.

I watched, mouth hanging open, as Yoh flew through the air, going so far as to land back in the clearing, groaning in pain. Manta and I ran after him to see that Amidamaru had been forced to exit his body.

Ren laughed as he padded out of the darkness of the forest. "Even the stamina to keep a unity ran out?"

"I'm sorry, Yoh-dono," Amidamaru apologized as I watched Ren slowly come closer to them. "If I was stronger…!"

"You're strong enough already, Amidamaru," Yoh assured him. "I'm the one lacking skill." He turned to smile (albeit painfully) at Amidamaru. "Go. Mosuke is waiting for you."

Amidamaru gasped disbelievingly.

"You're still my main spirit," Yoh continued. "While I'm standing like this, he can't make you his spirit. And the spirit who died peacefully once could never return to this world. So…there'll be no chance that you'll ever become his spirit."

I watched, speechless. Yoh was sacrificing everything, even his life, for Amidamaru. I hadn't seen such chivalry like that in such a long time…

"Go, Amidamaru!" Yoh pleaded.

"I won't let you do that!" Ren screeched as he burst from the trees, brandishing his Kwan Dao. "I'll make your samurai mine right over your dead body-!"

Ren gasped, and stopped. Amidamaru was smack dab in front of Yoh, refusing to flee. I could tell that Ren had never seen such an act of loyalty, and he was unnerved.

"What are you doing, Amidamaru? Go!" Yoh commanded desperately.

"I refuse," Amidamaru answered simply. "I know that I cannot do anything…However, fleeing when I can't win…Fleeing with my lord behind; it is worse than any shame to a warrior's honor! Also…resting in peace is impossible. I am already loyal to Yoh-dono!"

Yoh stared at him for a moment, then smiled. "Amidamaru…"

Ren started laughing, though I could see that he was nervous. "What a wonderful friendship, you fools. Because of such stupid feelings…You both will disappear!" He jumped into the air, belting out a battle cry.

"Yoh!" Manta and I screeched at the same time. I was so scared that I couldn't even feel the soreness in my throat.

Suddenly, Ren was knocked backwards through the air. He flipped and landed on his feet, kneeling. When he noticed that Yoh was glowing, he looked shocked.

I was startled, too. Yoh's Hyoi Gattai, his unity power, was increasing. Considerably.

"Bason!" Ren cried. "One hundred percent!"

Yoh blocked his attack, sending Ren skidding across the ground, again in a keeling position. "One hundred percent?" Ren asked, incredulous.

Yoh stood still, his eyes shadowed. "You taught us when both wills become one, that one hundred percent of a spirit's power can be used." Yoh walked over and picked up the other half of the pole that he had thrown aside earlier. "Our will has become one. No matter what happens, we absolutely won't leave each other!"

Ren tensed, and jumped into the air once again. "Cut the crap! Using one hundred percent of the spirit is impossible without conquering it!"

"No, it does!" Yoh sliced with both of the poles, and Ren was sent flying, the leftover bits of his Kwan Dao falling to the earth with him.

There was a moment of stillness, and Yoh fell to the ground. Manta and I rushed up to him and knelt beside him.

When I looked up again, Ren was gone. Only bits of his Kwan Dao remained. I blinked at it, remembering how Ren had held my life in his hands three times now.

I stood and walked over to the wreckage, wrenching the little tassel off the end of the weapon. If Yoh could defeat Ren, I could defeat my fear.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Back at the hospital, Manta dozed in the chair while I stood by the window, waiting for Yoh to wake up. I wished I could doze, but my mind was racing. I had burned Ren's hand. Granted, it was in self defense, and I was flipping _petrified _of Ren, but if Silva or one of the other Patch was here, they would be reprimanding me. Technically in that situation, I shouldn't be the one getting reprimanded because of what status I held, but with my being fourteen, I was like a child to them. Besides, I didn't make the decisions. I followed them.

Nix was perched on my shoulder, and I knew what he was thinking. I was becoming too attached to Yoh and Manta. I hadn't burned Ren because I was afraid for me, but because I was afraid for Yoh. I didn't want to leave them, though. I had to distance myself from them. Spend a little less time with them. But I couldn't give them up completely. I couldn't go back to being alone.

I glanced back to make sure that Manta and Yoh were still asleep, and, trusting that if Amidamaru saw me he wouldn't say anything, I pressed my hand against my side wound under my bandages, focusing my furyoku on that one spot until I could feel warmth spread through my abdomen, closing my wound up, but not completely.

A breeze flew in the window, and I could sense another spiritual presence in the area. I didn't know how to react, however. It was the presence of an itako.


	5. Anna

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King; I can only wish. *lesigh***

_Annnnnnnaaaa! XD I love her. She's just awesome. Not too much to say about this chapter; the name of the third OC is revealed here (remember when I said there were going to be four OCs? Well, technicallyyyy... it's just three. :P You'll understand later... I can't remember if it's the next chapter or the next, but you'll understand what truly makes Tori a Mary Sue -.-)._

_In the last chapter, Manta called Tori "Tori-chan." I'm pretty sure that -chan is a...a...oh, what was it...well, diminutive nickname or whatever; I was really conflicted (originally Manta said "-kun") so I changed it so that Ren could "get away" with saying "Tori-chan" in such a dark way (heeeheee... I'd let him call me -chan any day XD). To make a long story short, Manta's going to call her "Tori-kun" from now on. We'll just say -chan reminds her of Ren almost killing her..._

Normal text and "speaking," _Thinking to self, 'Sign language & mouthing,' **'Telepathy.'**_

_Favorite quote from ze chap: "The future looks rough." - Anna. XD_

_Enjoy!_

**Five: Anna**

Yoh let out a slight groan as he woke up. When he saw me, he smiled. "Morning," he mumbled. I smiled back in response before I remembered that I had decided to keep a bit more distance between us.

Manta woke with a start, and then rubbed his eyes. "Good morning," he greeted.

"The weather's nice, isn't it?" Yoh asked.

I nodded, as did Manta. I couldn't quite enjoy the chitchat, though; I could feel the itako presence getting closer, and I knew it was coming for us. But if I gave away anything, I'd have to reveal how I knew.

"So…what happened to Ren?" Yoh asked.

"I don't know." Manta shook his head. "He just…disappeared."

"I see," Yoh muttered.

I was resolved. I wanted to find Ren. I wanted to watch him. I wanted to defeat my fear of him. I couldn't fear a potential contestant. I had enough power to easily defeat him until he learned how to oversoul, but he still was like something out of a nightmare.

"Hey, Amidamaru," Yoh greeted.

The samurai appeared. "How are you feeling?"

"Not bad," Yoh answered, rolling his shoulder. "But I hurt here and there."

Amidamaru smiled. "That's how you get stronger."

"It's okay even if I'm weak," Yoh continued. He gave Amidamaru a rather sly look. "I really hate being in pain."

That made two of us, at least. The tree of them chuckled, but I suddenly stiffened.

"Really. Being lazy and all."

We all looked to the doorway, where a blonde girl in a short black dress and a red headscarf leaned. She wore blue itako beads. She looked up. "The future looks rough."

Manta walked up to her. "Um, excuse me, who are you?"

I gave myself three guesses, and the last two didn't need to be used.

"Shut up, midget," she said coldly.

Manta trembled in anger. "Mi…midget…"

The girl stood up fully. "It's been a while, Yoh."

Yoh leaned as far away in the bed as he could and waved nervously. "Uh…hi Anna."

Without a doubt, this was Kyoyama Anna, the itako prodigy and Yoh's fiancée that Yohmei had told me about.

"Do you know each other?" Manta asked, confused.

"A-a childhood friend," Yoh stuttered.

"His fiancée," Anna corrected.

There was silence for a moment as Amidamaru and Manta took it in. In unison, they screamed, "Fiancée?"

"Your injuries don't look like a big deal," Anna continued like no one had screamed. She turned to Manta. "I'm thirsty. Juice. Go buy one for me."

Manta hesitated, and then hurried out of the room. Yoh stood and followed him, but Anna held out her arm.

"Who is that?" she asked, pointing at me.

Yoh looked like he'd rather face hell than answer. "Tori. She's a shaman, but she's mute. She can only speak when she's united with her spirit."

Anna's cold black eyes traveled up and down my body. After a moment, she pulled her arm back, and Yoh sent me an apologetic glance as he made a quick exit.

Anna stared at me for another minute. Amidamaru looked like he'd also rather face hell than be here. "I…I'll just go…"

Suddenly, Anna pulled out more itako beads, and wrapped them around Amidamaru's torso. Shocked, the samurai tried to ghost away, but found he couldn't move.

Keeping a firm grip on her beads, Anna walked over to me, stopping inches from my face. "Show me your spirit," she commanded, though in a different tone than she had used with Manta.

I got the feeling that Anna knew about me. I coaxed Nix with my mind, and the phoenix appeared, perched on my shoulder.

"Yohmei told me that I might see you," Anna explained quietly, too low for Amidamaru to hear. "He didn't explain much to me, only that you wouldn't really be participating in the Tournament and that I was to trust you." Her eyes narrowed. "My trust is not given easily. Remember, Yoh is my fiancé. If you try to hurt him, I don't care what Yohmei or anyone says. I will not forgive you."

I nodded, bowing to show her that I understood fully and was not going to challenge her. I didn't want to challenge her, anyway. I could hear the unspoken threat there, and it wasn't just about if I ever hurt Yoh. To put it simply, she didn't want me to be anything more than his friend.

Anna didn't realize that, even if I wanted to, nothing would be able to come out of it in the end.

"Good," she muttered, sitting down on the bed.

"Are you…are you going to let me go?" Amidamaru asked, still taken aback by his sudden capture.

"No," Anna replied simply.

()()()()()()()()()()()

"You're late," Anna reprimanded when Yoh and Manta returned with her juice, tightening her hold on her beads. "You were planning to run away and forget your spirit, weren't you?"

Amidamaru had almost comical tears streaming down his face. "Yoh-dono!" he pleaded.

Yoh tensed, and Manta nervously smiled. Anna had seen right through them.

"I guess I was right after all. How shameful," Anna scolded. She closed her eyes. "Well, that's fine…That's why I came here." She stood and freed Amidamaru from her beads, and the spirit floated away, crying in relief.

Anna looked at Yoh. "From today on, you have to undertake my special training course."

"Special?" Yoh asked skeptically. And also without much enthusiasm.

"Don't you want to become Shaman King?" Anna asked. She didn't wait for an answer. "Then you will do as I command. I won't do anything bad to you."

I had a sneaking suspicion that her last words would be untrue from Yoh's eyes.

"I…I have my own ways of carrying things out," Yoh stammered, attempting to worm out of the situation.

Anna stared at him, her face showing no emotion. "…Do you want to die?"

When Yoh didn't answer, she continued. "As you are right now, becoming Shaman King is the dream of a dream. Not only that, against all the shamans gathering from all around the world, you won't even survive." I found myself nodding at her words.

"All over the world?" Amidamaru repeated.

"Survive?" Manta looked paralyzed. "What are you talking about?"

Yoh narrowed his eyes. "Anna…"

Anna turned away. "People forgot all about the existence of the Great Spirit and acted solely upon their desires. Now that the world is full of chaos, the time has finally come to accept the King of Spirits. Shamans from all over the world are gathering, fighting over the shaman's place as the savior of the world." She turned around to face Yoh. "'Shaman Fight in Tokyo.'"

Hearing the words said aloud suddenly made more real, even for me. I realized that Yoh still had a long way to go till he could even consider becoming Shaman King. He had yet to even hear the words 'furyoku' and 'oversoul,' for goodness's sake! I realized that, at this point, it was one thing to beat Ren, but there would be even stronger foes in the future…like Hao.

"'Shaman Fight… in Tokyo!'" Manta sputtered disbelievingly, waving his hand like she was insane. "'In Tokyo,' she says!"

"What's so funny?" Anna snapped. "Midget."

"Ah…uh…" Manta backed down, trying to look smaller than he already was.

Anna straightened up. "Humans can only reveal their true potential during an absolutely critical situation. That's why fighting is the best way to decide who will be the Shaman King. In Tokyo, shamans from all over the world are already gathering with their ideals in their heart, with their most trusted spirits. Knowing this, your need for special training is obvious, no?"

Yoh hesitated. "Even so…I still think I have my own way of…"

Anna came closer to Yoh frighteningly quick. "You have to live through the Shaman Fights!" She backed up. "Because I want to be the Shaman King's first lady. Since you'll be my husband, you have to become Shaman King no matter what. As for me… you have to give me an easy life!"

All three boys' jaws dropped. I, for one, held back a breathy giggle. I didn't think that laughing would help the situation right now, especially since this was such a serious topic. I frowned on the inside. I really was spending too much time with Yoh and Manta.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

I kept away from them for a week. It was an agonizing week that went by much too slowly, but I forced myself to keep away from Yoh. I saw Manta a couple times, though; he was too busy with his studies to go see Yoh, but he was going to visit their house (the En Inn, as it was once called) on Saturday. I agreed to go with him.

While waiting for Saturday to roll around, I looked around Tokyo for shamans. I was surprised that I saw more than I expected; I had been neglecting to take notice of anything that didn't directly concern my friends, these days.

I saw Ren a couple times too, but always at a distance. I'd finger the tassel that I ripped off of the rubble that was his old Kwan Dao as if I could get the courage to come closer, but one flash of those icy eyes made me remember the panic I felt in the three times he had held my mortality in his hands. And right now, I especially had to be careful about my mortality.

When Saturday finally came, I waited for Manta at the start of the path leading to Yoh's house, much earlier than planned. I didn't have to wait long, though; Manta had decided to come early, too. We smiled at each other but communicated little as we headed down towards Yoh's house.

I'd seen Yoh's house before (I'd never gone _in _it), but Manta hadn't.

"For one family, this is a huge house," Manta observed as we crossed over the threshold of the front gate into the yard. I nodded in response.

We walked up to the front door, but we didn't have to knock; Yoh himself slid open the door. Manta called a greeting, but was soon cut off when Yoh fell on top of him, exhausted.

Manta and I managed to pull Yoh out to the side yard, where we sat him on the outdoor hallway. Luckily, Yoh woke up enough and was responsive, though he was incredibly dull as we sat on either side of him.

"No wonder you're so tired," Manta noted, lifting the weights that had been attached to Yoh's arms and legs. "These are heavy! And then you have to run fifty kilometers every day… It's hell. No wonder you collapsed."

Hell was probably an overstatement, but I bet Yoh wouldn't agree with me.

"I think so too." Yoh was leaning over, holding his head in his hand yet somehow pulling off a painful grin. "Anna is persistent. She keeps telling me to 'train, train'!"

"I can understand her reasoning, though," Manta continued. "To win a shaman fight, the shaman's ability must match the spirit's ability, no matter how strong the spirit is. There's no point if a shaman can't draw out one hundred percent of a spirit's ability."

Oh, Manta. He was so smart. But still, there was more. A lot more.

"I know that already," Yoh pointed out quietly. "That's why, no matter how hard it is, I must give it my all," he vowed. "To be a shaman worthy of Amidamaru."

"So you're constantly reminding yourself of that to endure this?" Manta asked.

Yoh cried in agreement.

"She doesn't seem to be watching you all day, though," Manta noted. "It should be easy to slack off, right?"

"I can't do that, my body won't let me. I keep remembering how Anna made me cry when I was little. And even if I slacked off…" Yoh trailed off, and I snapped my fingers to catch their attentions.

'_He's being watched,' _I signed, and then pointed behind us.

Manta turned around and screamed his head off when he saw the spirits floating behind Yoh.

"They used to live in this house," Yoh explained, not bothering to turn around. "There was a tragic accident…wanna hear?"

"No! I'm scared enough!" Manta cried, and I let out my breathy giggle. "It's funny how you're living in a place like this," Manta continued, changing the subject.

"Being haunted means nothing to us," Yoh pointed out.

"Us?"

"Anna and I."

"Whaaaaat?" Manta reeled backwards. "You two are _living _together?"

"Yeah."

"Well…I supposed that's expected, since you're engaged," Manta supposed.

I sensed the itako's presence a moment before she said, "Why are you slacking off?" so I didn't jump about ten feet in the air like the other two. I looked up and saw that Anna had Amidamaru wrapped in her beads again, crying out "Yoh-dono!"

A spirit whispered into Anna's ear, and she glared at Yoh. "You only ran ten kilometers today."

"I…I was about to go out," Yoh stuttered, his hands raised in a defensive position.

Anna gave a small smile. "Okay. Then go."

()()()()()()()()()

We watched as Yoh jogged off, alone, down the road. Manta raised his hand in nervous farewell. "Well, I'll be going now…"

He managed to go about two steps before Anna commanded him to "Stop right there."

"Is there something…?" Manta managed before Anna grabbed him by the ear and tugged him inside. Before Anna could recruit me for something torturous, I hightailed it out of there after Yoh, deciding that I might as well go for a run with him. I might see some shamans as well.

I caught up to Yoh as he made it to the main road into the city. He grinned at me, obviously happy for the company. "Ready for a run?" he asked, his previous mood lightened considerably.

I smiled and nodded.

()()()()()()()()()()

Every day for the next two weeks, I saw Yoh running around the city. I didn't visit his house often, but when I did he'd always be training. Sometimes, when Yoh would run past me, I'd join him; rarely would I only give him a wave. It was obvious that he enjoyed the company, but he didn't speak much; which was all right with me, since it would be hard to sign or write something back to him while we were running. He was too out of breath to speak, anyways.

A couple of times, when he had enough breath, he'd tell me of Anna's latest torture technique, or that she was making Manta cook while she sat around watching the television with Amidamaru tethered to her the whole time.

I was amused but also sympathetic. I exercised daily, so it was easy for me to run with Yoh, but he was perhaps the laziest person I had ever met. Sometimes I worried that when I left him it would be the last time that I'd see him alive.

One time, while I was standing with him as he took a break, he looked at me. "Tori… Remember when I was fighting with Ren?"

I nodded, having an uneasy feeling in my stomach as I could tell where this was going.

"When he had you, he could have easily…hurt you, but you did something to him. Did you burn him?"

I nodded again, albeit slowly.

Yoh frowned in thought. "How'd you do that? With your phoenix spirit, right? You were united the whole time, weren't you?"

I nodded again. I didn't want to sign because I was afraid that my hands might've been shaking as I remembered the fear I felt that night.

He sighed. "I'm glad you were prepared, but next time, try not to get in the way, okay? I don't want you to get hurt. You're sorta… like a sister. A pretty quiet sister, but yeah."

I was stunned. Yoh wasn't pressing me about exactly _how _I did it, nor did he ask if I could teach him like probably any other shaman would. Instead, he was worried about me.

I was so overcome with emotion I had never experienced before towards a person that wasn't of my own blood that I expressed it with instinct; I hugged him.

Yoh laughed and patted my back. "Don't do that in front of Anna, I don't think she'd understand," he joked.

I pulled away, giggling. Inside, however, there was a queasy feeling. Yoh was being open and honest with me, and I could never be like that with him. I couldn't be like that with anyone, save for Nix, probably. I could never think of Yoh as a brother. Besides, Tai was my…brother…

I pushed away the unpleasant feeling and enjoyed the moment. The King of Spirits knew I needed every moment of happiness I could.

()()()()()()()()()()

One day, as I was wandering around looking for shamans, I happened upon Manta in the park. I walked up to him and gave him a wave; the boy was on a miniature bicycle, just his size.

'_Meeting Yoh?'_ I signed. For the first time, I wondered how rusty Yoh's sign language was getting; he hadn't seen me communicate with it for two weeks. I hadn't taught him anything new for three; he already knew most of the short answers that I gave.

Manta nodded. "You?"

I smiled. '_I wasn't planning to, but I'll tag along with you guys.'_

Manta beamed. Then something caught his eye, and he waved to someone behind me. "Yoh-kun!"

I turned and gave Yoh a wave as well, and soon we were all off following Yoh's route around the town.

"She still have Amidamaru?" Manta asked. I frowned slightly. It was easy for him to talk, since he was on a flipping bicycle. But we were going slower than Yoh's usual pace, so I lightened up.

"Yeah," Yoh answered. "What about your extra summer classes, Manta?"

"Today it was only in the morning," Manta explained.

We paused at the park crossroads, Yoh running in place. "Even though it's summer, you still want to study?" he asked.

"I like studying to begin with," Manta answered with a smile.

"I can't understand that." Yoh turned to me. "Can you?"

'_Yes, actually. I love learning things_,' I signed back. I noted that it took a little longer for Yoh to understand me than usual before he nodded.

"I can't understand you guys," he muttered jokingly as he turned the corner and lead the way down the road.

"You train on a daily basis, don't you Yoh-kun?" Manta asked a little while later.

"I'm being forced to!" Yoh pointed out. He sighed. "I just want to hang around the house and do nothing. You're lucky, Tori; Anna hasn't managed to recruit you yet, so you're free."

I wanted to snort. Me? Free? Though I liked and felt honored about my job, I'd never be free of it. Unless the wrong shaman became Shaman King. We'd all be screwed then. The word _free _meant nothing to me.

"How many more kilometers today?"

"Thirty," Yoh answered despairingly.

"Still…" Manta voiced sympathetically. Something caught his attention up ahead. "Isn't that the spirit from your house?"

I had noticed the spiritual energy already and had recognized it, but I looked up anyway. The spirit was pointing down another street.

"Ahh!" Yoh exclaimed, stopping dead, his eyes wide. "It's a course change!" He slumped over. "I might have to run even longer…"

Even though I probably should've left them to observe the other shamans in the city, I ran with them for the rest of the day until the sun turned orange in the sunset sky. Throughout the entire day, I could feel Nix's eyes boring into the back of my skull as he flew overhead, but I ignored him.

We came to a river, where Yoh stopped to rest. Manta and I stopped as well, but neither of us were panting quite like Yoh. Poor guy, having to run all that way with weights on his arms. Goodness knew what else Anna had planned for him.

"Why here?" Manta asked.

"Anna…she can't be asking me to swim across, right?" Yoh was panicked, but couldn't show it because he was panting so badly.

"It wouldn't surprise me," Manta answered.

I stopped breathing heavily first, sensing something sinister approaching. I looked up the slope to see that there was a black van parked on the road above us, with three hooded figures standing there with tags on their faces. On the tags were Chinese characters…

"W-who are they?" Manta stammered.

"Get away!" Yoh commanded.

Before he could say anything more, the figures jumped into the air, shedding their cloaks to reveal chalky grey muscles. One pulled out a long chainlike weapon and hit Yoh, knocking him to the ground twenty feet from where he had stood.

"Yoh-kun!" Manta called, running up to him. "We have to run!"

If Yoh responded, I didn't see because suddenly one of the figures grabbed both of my arms, immobilizing me. Immediately, Nix swooped down and entered my body of his own accord, and I used his strength to kick the away from me. My arms burned from its grip, but I ignored the pain and dashed forward to snatch the tag from the thing's head (they had a name, but I couldn't remember it - I'd only ever come across them once or twice), but it dodged out of the way.

I made to go after it again, but something grabbed my wrist, and I turned to see Yoh frowning at me. Gently but firmly, he pushed me back towards Manta. "Stay out of this. Amidamaru and I can handle this."

I nodded and ran over to Manta's side and we watched as Yoh seemed to expertly fight the three opponents. Apparently, Anna's harsh training schedule was paying off.

Yoh suddenly turned, a pole in his hand, and slashed at the undead (oh, why couldn't I remember their names?). As one, the trio fell to the ground and faded into dust, their shredded tags drifting to the ground.

I heard the sound of a motor, and I turned to see a black car driving away across the bridge. I narrowed my eyes, wanting to follow it; the spiritual energy radiating from it wasn't quite that of a shaman. It was a doshi.

"You were great, Yoh-kun!" Manta exclaimed as Yoh stood there, exhausted.

I wasn't listening as they continued to converse. That car had looked expensive. I was sure that I had seen it somewhere around the city before… Near the richer section of Tokyo, where the upscale hotels were.

My eyes narrowed. I'd last seen Ren in that area, too.

Manta prodded my arm. "You all right, Tori?"

He had startled me out of my thoughts, and I jerked a little. I looked down at his worried expression before smiling and nodding.

()()()()()()()()()()()

That night, I was invited to the Asakura household - not necessarily by Yoh, but by _Anna._ I would have gone after that black car, but no one said no to Anna. Plus, I think she had a suspicion that I would be tracking whoever it was that attacked us. Though I'm pretty sure we all thought it was Ren.

Yoh stood in the doorway, two weights on each arm and leg. The extra mass caused him to slouch. "What is this…?"

"Each is only twenty-two pounds," Anna answered without looking at him. She was lying on the floor, reading from a magazine. "It's not too much, right? Starting tomorrow, you're running with those on."

"But that's impossible!" Yoh whined. "I can't even walk!"

"You have to do this if you want to become Shaman King," Anna pointed out, still not moving. "If your main spirit is the King of Spirits, you can do anything you want with the world. Anyways, with me you can…" She trailed off, and then turned her head around. "Anyways, hurry up and make food already!" she snapped.

Yoh turned around to us, crying. I smiled sadly, but also in amusement.

"Get supper ready, Yoh!" Anna urged.

Yoh whined as he somehow managed to pull himself down the hall, Manta and Amidamaru trailing after him. I was about to go too, but I stopped when Anna started talking.

"Tori… If you would like to stay with us, you're more than welcome."

I stared at Anna's backside. Stay here? With her and Yoh?

She turned her head to me. "You'll have to work to stay here, though. You won't have to pay in money."

I paused, only vaguely wondering why Anna had offered for me to stay (perhaps Yohmei or Kino had told her to…?). I couldn't stay here. I was supposed to be distancing myself from Yoh to give the other shamans an unbiased watching. I couldn't get too close to a single person or group, but hadn't these past three weeks proved that I couldn't anymore?

I wanted to stay, though. I could make it all work out, couldn't I? Besides, no one said no to Anna.

I nodded eagerly to Anna and bowed in agreement.

* * *

_*I highly doubt I'm ever going to write it in the story, but Yohmei and Kino DID tell Anna to invite Tori to stay._


	6. Lee Pailong and Tao Jun

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King! If I did, the fight scene with Pailong would be shorter -.- it irks me that it spans two episodes. Don't ask why, it just does - like with those episodes when Tokagero comes in. XD**

_First off: apologies in case there are any underlines or misplaced italics and boldface type; FFnet screwed up the format a bit, but I think I fixed it..._

_Two: I have to say, this chapter makes me want to both do a facepalm for weird reasons, and giggle, even though there really isn't any reason to do either. I'm just weird, I guess. I updated a day earlier because I have a busy weekend ahead of me._

_Today, we'll read a bit about Tori's backstory - which means FLASHBACK! (aka what makes her a Mary Sue and my reasoning for it that may or may not justify it and make it all better. Ugh... XD I'm so hard on myself), and some stuff about Pailong and Jun and how much they will love each other by the next chapter - and oh, what's this? REN MAKES AN APPEARANCE? ;D_

_If you are in any way confused by the events in this chapter, don't hesitate to put it in the review (I take anonymous reviews, to which I'll respond in A/Ns) or PM me. However, due to keeping the plot as spoiler-free as possible, some questions might not be answered. When I first thought up of Tori's backstory, I confused myself multiple times (which actually isn't that hard...)._

_Enjoy!_

**Six: Lee Pailong and Tao Jun**

Once again, the day found Manta and me accompanying Yoh on his daily run. Since I had started living in the Asakura house, most of my time was divided up between helping Yoh and helping Anna. I wasn't as worked as Manta, though; I think Anna knew that I had something other to do besides clean.

I hadn't chased after that black car at all. I decided that if we saw it again, we'd deal with it then. Besides, it wasn't like this mystery was going to be solved in a split second or something if I did go after it. With our luck, something else would pop up.

Even though Anna was very demanding, I was actually getting along with her just fine. A few times, if Yoh and Manta had gone out without me (guy stuff, they'd say), I'd stay with Anna and watch television with her when I didn't feel like going around and watching for shaman and the Patch. She didn't speak much, and if she did it'd be rhetorical or a yes-or-no question. _Not nearly as fun as the others, _I thought as I jogged after Yoh_, but I'm fine with it._

When we came up to a bench, Yoh stopped and leaned on it. "Let's…take a break…" he panted.

Amidamaru appeared. "Don't give up, Yoh-dono!" he urged. "You're half done!"

Yoh splayed himself across the bench. "Only half?" he cried despairingly. "If tears are the sweat of the heart, then sweat are the tears of the body."

I patted Yoh's shoulder reassuringly, and then quickly pulled my hand away when I realized his shirt was soaked.

"It's amazing you've kept up this long," Manta noted, trying to cheer Yoh up probably as he sat on the seat of his little bike. "Those weights keep on getting heavier."

"My food has been tasting great lately," Yoh mumbled.

I had to give Yoh a confused look along with Manta and Amidamaru.

"It's like working out in order to eat good food," Yoh explained with a tired grin. He let out a chuckle.

"Isn't it tough?" Manta asked.

"If I keep training, fighting will be easier with Amidamaru. Plus…if I think it's fun, it'll be fun." Yoh stretched and jumped up. "At this rate, I'll be able to eat five bowls of rice and still be hungry!" With a somewhat forced smile, he led the way down the road.

I was planning on how to tell them I was going to run another way than them when we passed a bulletin board. I stopped immediately, staring at the movie poster. A second later, Manta was beside me.

"_Lee Pailong_?" he yelled in excitement and also a bit of confusion.

I didn't stop staring at the poster. I wasn't much of a movie person, but I'd seen all of Lee Pailong's movies at least two times each - for me, that was a lot. I didn't know about other people, though. Looking at the poster brought back memories.

"Who's Lee Pailong?" Yoh asked in confusion.

Manta and I turned back to him and Amidamaru as one. "You don't know?" Manta asked incredulously.

"Nope," Yoh and Amidamaru said in unison.

Manta stood on the seat of his bicycle and was posed like a teacher. "Lee Pailong is in the history of movies. No, in the history of the world! He's an action star from seventeen years ago and he'll be remembered forever!"

I nodded. '_Lee Pailong is a kung fu hero that fights against evil in the movies,' _I signed.

Manta nodded to me. "Pailong uses only his body to fight. He's superhuman! He's famous!"

Yoh scratched the back of his head. "I wasn't even born seventeen years ago…"

"This is after I died," Amidamaru added. "So…"

"You should watch this movie!" Manta urged, flailing. "It'll change the way you think!"

"Eh…nah," Yoh answered, beginning to run again. "I don't have Anna's permission, anyway."

Manta lost his balance on the bike and fell over. He quickly got back on and pedaled after Yoh. "Wait! _Fists of Anger _is one of his best movies!"

I jogged slowly after them, letting them go on ahead. Suddenly, my eyes caught a black van, and I stopped, looking directly at it. I could just see a figure through the dark windows, and I stared at it for another moment before jogging off after Yoh, hurrying away from the car.

()()()()()()()()()

Throughout the run, Manta kept running his mouth about Pailong. I liked the movies, but I didn't want to hear all about Pailong over and over again, so I let his voice drift into the background of the city noise and kept my eyes peeled for that black van. I had felt the presence of that doshi…

"Shaman fights are different from martial arts," Yoh pointed out once Manta let him speak, pulling me back to reality.

"That's true…" Manta muttered

Yoh stopped and looked back at Manta; I stopped a few feet ahead.

"Why do you want me to watch Pailong's movie so much?"

Manta stayed quiet for a long time. "Yoh-kun…I want Yoh-kun to know the things I like," he mumbled.

Yoh smiled. "I see."

Manta smiled as well.

I felt almost like I was intruding, but soon we were off again. Earlier, I had wanted to go looking for shamans, but after seeing that black van, I didn't want to leave Yoh and Manta alone, even though Yoh could defend them both.

()()()()()()()()()

Back at the house, we all sat in the living room; Anna watched the television while Yoh ate and Manta went on about Daodan Do, Lee Pailong's own kung fu style. I watched them converse, not entirely listening. Hearing Manta go on about Lee Pailong had me lost in a memory.

_I glanced at my watch, not caring at all about the time. I hardly cared about anything at all. Nothing mattered until I came to be with the Patch again, when Lago came again. But that wouldn't be for years, and I already knew that it wasn't going to be in this lifetime, since I wasn't born in the Patch._

_Before you get too confused, let me explain: I share similarities with Hao, one being that we both can control fire with our spirits. Another one was that we could both reincarnate, but he could pass freely between the world of the living and the dead by mere whim, while I would only be able to rest in peace once my debt was repaid, which would be never. My existence had no meaning but to serve; I hardly even felt feelings, something that was blamed upon a mental disorder that I never bothered to learn the name of. For the rest of time, I'd exist only in the physical world of the living._

_Right now, however, I was supposed to be meeting Tai for lunch. My brother was ten years older than me, and was an actor - not a particularly successful one, but because he was a martial artist as well, he'd acquired a 'recurring' role as one of Lee Pailong's enemies' lackeys in the movies (Tai had also been good friends with Pailong, and had brought me with him to his job a few times to meet the famous Daodan Do artist). Though Pailong had been dead for almost three years, Tai didn't have a lot of time on his hands because of a new role, so when he did, he was sure to spend it with me, for some reason I knew out of theory but never really felt: sibling love. From what I could tell, he was overly protective of me because of my 'disability' and my muteness, but I never cared._

_I looked across the busy intersection to the other side of the street. I blinked uninterestedly when I recognized Tai's short messy hair, waiting for me under the pedestrian traffic light, which conveniently turned green just then. I fixed my bag more comfortably over my shoulder and began to walk across the street, not caring if the multitude of people behind me were following-_

"_Maylin!"_

_Blinking-_

"No. I won't give you money to watch movies."

Anna's words, along with Manta's and Yoh's groans of disbelief brought me out of my recollection.

"Any problems?" Anna asked darkly.

Immediately, Yoh went back to eating, and Manta went back to the topic of Daodan Do.

"What are you talking about?" Anna asked without looking at them. "Since he's weak, without realizing it he looks up to strong people."

Manta's face contorted with shock, but he said nothing.

"Admiration…" Anna continued. "It's something that gets stronger the more far-fetched it is."

Manta turned around and hid his face in his arms. I gave him a pat on the back as Yoh said, "If you get discouraged from just that, you won't be able to keep up…"

"Fat-fetched…" Manta repeated. "Yeah…Lee Pailong is definitely way beyond my level."

"Hm?"

"Seventeen years ago, before he completed Daodan Do, Pailong mysteriously disappeared," Manta explained quietly.

"He's dead?" Yoh asked.

I nodded, my mind swimming with a memory again.

"The body also disappeared during the funeral," Manta added. "It's still a mystery."

"A dead body…disappeared?" Anna asked.

Manta tried one last time to beg Anna to let Yoh see the movie. I silently urged him on, wanting to go as well. A movie was just what I needed to take my mind off of my memories.

Anna stood. "I'll go too."

Manta was speechless.

Anna half-turned around. "What?" she asked darkly.

"N-nothing!" Manta assured her.

"Shall we go, then?" Yoh asked with a smile.

Amidamaru appeared next to him. "I want to go, too!"

()()()()()()()()()()()

The movie theater was empty aside from us. On the screen, Lee Pailong was battling a score of enemies single-handedly, and was winning. At each punch, Yoh let out a breath of awe; beads of sweat were forming on his face as he clenched his fists. He was so enthralled that he wasn't even eating the popcorn, which was fine with me and Anna.

I swallowed a mouthful, then tensed slightly. Another shaman was in the area, and also the doshi… I forcibly relaxed myself and watched Lee Pailong battle on the screen. The movie wasn't completely helping my thoughts, but it was distracting enough.

I tried to keep from tensing when Tai appeared on the screen; he'd always played one of the thugs that Pailong had to battle. But in real life, they'd been quite good friends… I felt a pang of remorse.

When the movie was finally over, we walked out of the theater - I wished they had another showing of it, or another movie. Pailong's movies were the best, even if seeing Tai did make me feel sad.

Yoh stretched, smiling widely. "Lee Pailong is really great!" he declared.

"Isn't he?" Manta asked excitedly.

"Yeah, he was so cool!" Yoh agreed.

"Going into the enemy's base all by himself…" Manta added.

As one, us three struck the pose of Pailong in the scene, and I mouthed along with them. "'Don't make me laugh! Taste my fury!'" We broke into the Daodan Do poses Pailong used in the movie, and I did another breathy giggle. I'd never done a Pailong pose.

"Simpletons," Anna muttered, as if pretending not to know us.

"I was touched too," said Amidamaru. "This movie thing, it was the first time I've seen one, but it was truly great."

Nix appeared on my shoulder, yawning, and gave a rare input. "I've seen too many of Pailong's movies with Tori. I found it dull."

Yoh elbowed me. "You a fanatic, Tori?"

I scratched my head sheepishly and turned away, nodding, too embarrassed to realize what was coming.

Yoh laughed and started walking when I turned around, and he suddenly bumped into a figure, causing him to fall to the ground on his bottom.

"Yoh-kun!" Manta warned; Yoh looked up to see one of the creatures we had fought the other day. It was a…a…

"Kyonshii," Anna said as many others poured out from the alleyways, blocking our way.

Kyonshii! Of course. How could I have not remembered their name? Kyonshii were 'frozen corpses,' dead bodies controlled by a doshi. The only way to defeat them was to destroy the tags on their foreheads.

Yoh stood. "Stay away," he warned, going over to grab a pipe from the side of the street.

I walked up beside him and gave him a hard stare. I wasn't going to let him fight all of these kyonshii by himself. Even if he said no. _'__**Even if you don't like it,' **_I relayed to Nix.

Yoh looked at me, and then gave me a quick nod.

As the kyonshii jumped into the air to attack, both Yoh and I merged with our spirits at the same time.

One group jumped at Yoh, and he swiped at them with his pipe, causing them to turn to dust as their tags disintegrated.

Another group came towards me. Without a weapon, I had to rely on my speed to dodge attacks and swipe at their tags. After I managed to destroy one, I wished I could oversoul. Then this would be over in the blink of an eye. But that was against my rules.

I really needed to start carrying a weapon.

I turned around to fight another one, but saw that Yoh had already obliterated them. We both walked back to Anna and Manta.

"I think I'm getting pretty good," Yoh mused. "You're good too, Tori. I think you need a weapon, though."

I shrugged. Real weapons weren't my style; if I wasn't fighting with my hands, I was fighting with an oversoul. If I fought at all - which I happened to be doing more lately than I ever remembered doing in any one period of time. Again, I probably needed to start carrying a weapon, even if I wasn't used to them.

I saw Amidamaru exit Yoh's body, but Nix stayed put in mine - I sensed the doshi still before I heard it clap.

We turned around and saw a tall, slender figure standing just outside of the light cast by a streetlamp. "That was great, Asakura Yoh-kun. And Tori-kun."

When Yoh made a sound and look of confusion, the figure continued. "Not being able to hold you off with that many kyonshii…I apologize for underestimating you."

"Who are you?" Yoh asked, his eyes narrowed.

The figure stepped into the light, revealing itself to be a tall, graceful girl with green hair. "My name is Tao Jun."

Tao? _Tao?_As in relative of Ren? This could not be good.

"Tao?" Manta asked. "Then you…"

Jun bowed her head. "I am Ren's older sister."

"You're a shaman too?" Anna asked, her gaze cold.

"Yes… I am a doshi," Jun replied.

"Doshi?" Yoh repeated, confused.

"I think doshi are shamans who can control kyonshii with mere commands," Manta explained, unnerved. "With words written on a talisman, they can program kyonshii with commands."

"Yes," Jun agreed. "Doshi are a part of the shaman bloodline, which descended down amongst our mighty kingdom. I came here because I have a favor to ask of you," she continued to Yoh. "For my lovely little brother, Ren."

I thought many things about Ren, but none of them were even _remotely _close to 'lovely.' More like insane.

"Could I take your samurai, Amidamaru?" Jun asked. "And also, Ren has a question for Tori-kun," she added, almost as an afterthought.

"Even if you asked nicely, I wouldn't give you Amidamaru," Yoh answered. "And Tori's not going anywhere, are you, Tori?"

I shook my head in defiance.

I saw Jun tense slightly. "It would be to your advantage to give up your spirit, and the girl - Ren would return her soon enough, I'm sure. Neither would be hurt." She reached for the slit in her dress and pulled out two handfuls of talismans. "Now come out, my warrior… Lee Pailong!"

My breath caught in my throat as the ground exploded behind us and a bright light appeared. Out of it rose a greyish figure, but a familiar figure nonetheless. Pailong…

I wanted Nix to say Pailong's name. _I _wanted to scream it, but Nix wasn't allowing it.

Manta screamed as Pailong jumped into the air to land behind Jun. "You should fully understand his strength by now…" Jun said dangerously. "After that movie."

I didn't need to see a movie to know Pailong's strength. I knew it all too well, and I knew Pailong would never stand for this, would never stand to be a kyonshii. I thought of Tai, and how he knew Pailong wouldn't stand for this either.

"Lee Pailong is my main spirit," Jun explained. "The strongest of the Tao family's possessions. The ultimate corpse weapon!"

"Possession?" Manta repeated disbelievingly. "Weapon?"

"Before I let Pailong move, meet at least one of my demands," Jun commanded.

"No," Yoh answered immediately.

I hesitated before I walked forward. I couldn't fight Pailong. I couldn't defend myself against him. Even if he was a kyonshii, a corpse, something that couldn't physically feel pain, I couldn't bear to hurt him - even though I knew I could never touch him if I tried without oversoul. If he, under his talisman, knew who I was, I knew he couldn't bear to hurt me, either - he and Tai had been good friends, and he knew how much I had meant to my brother. But he didn't know.

"Tori! What are you doing?" Yoh asked, running forward to grab my arm.

I yanked my arm out of Yoh's grip without looking at him. I looked Jun in the eye. "What does Ren want?" I asked, not feeling the terrible rasp in my throat as Nix spoke for me.

Jun shrugged. "He never told me, but…" She snapped her fingers, and something suddenly grabbed me around the waist and pulled me into the air. I heard the others scream out after me, but a second later the creature that had held me threw me, and I landed, not on the ground, but on a flat rooftop. I felt Nix exit my body along with the air in my lungs, and I gasped.

Immediately, someone grabbed my shoulders and threw me against a wall, and I suddenly found a Kwan Dao at my neck.

"Hold it, Bason," Ren commanded, and I realized that his spirit must be grappling with Nix - though Bason had the upper hand with, well, hands, it would only be a matter of time before Nix broke free. But until then, I had to deal with Ren. Alone.

Though I was taller than him, Ren's yellow eyes made me feel tiny. He was close enough so that I could feel his breath on my face as he sneered at me. "Answer this, and I _might _justlet you live," he hissed. "How did you burn me?"

Even if Nix was still united with me, I couldn't answer that. I couldn't teach shamans, I was only supposed to watch them until-

Ren leaned in even closer, so that I could see the flecks of a slightly different shade of gold in his eyes. His nose was probably just an inch from mine. "Speak up!"

I had to think quickly. Ren wouldn't give me forever to answer, and in the exact second that Nix would unite with me, he'd decapitate me. But it was hard to think with the blood pounding in my ears, my heart beating at my chest as my body chanted at me to _run, run, run_. If I tried to fight, he'd just cut me up into a dozen pieces. Even a kneeing below the belt might just make him angrier. I had to startle him somehow, I had to get the Kwan Dao away from my neck.

"What? Can't you friggin' speak?" he spat, everything about him absolutely livid.

Watching him speak sparked an idea in my mind, an idea even more terrifying than the fact that there was a weapon at my throat, for if I failed, my death would be _impossible _to escape. Before I could think twice (for I would definitely dismiss the idea as more insane than a person in solitary confinement in the world's worst asylum), I darted my face forward and just barely pecked his lips with my own.

Ren jumped backwards, stumbling and falling onto his behind. He was sputtering incoherently, but I didn't take the time to look at him as I hurried toward the two clashing spirits and reached forward, pulling Nix out of the fray in his spirit ball form, merging with him quickly.

Suddenly, the kyonshii that had grabbed me before appeared, and I snatched its talisman off of its forehead, wanting nothing more than to get the hell out of there.

Once he saw that I was free, Bason hurried over to his master, and I didn't stick around to see what happened. Without a backward glance at Ren, I jumped off the side of the building and onto the street below.

What I saw made me freeze. Yoh was lying on the ground, Manta standing over him, tears swimming in his eyes. "Even if he's dead, Lee Pailong is still Lee Pailong!"

Anna walked up behind him, glaring at Jun. "Lee Pailong is not at fault here. Even if it's his own body, he's still a kyonshii. The fact that he's being manipulated doesn't change anything. That's why the bad one is the girl manipulating him."

"Then… then Pailong is…ignoring his own will," Manta whimpered.

"A shaman is someone who controls spirits," Jun explained. "The spirit's will is meaningless."

"Pailong's will is _not meaningless_!" I screeched through Nix, not even registering my surprise that he wasn't keeping me quiet as I dashed toward Jun.

Jun flicked out a talisman that attached to Pailong's head, and he jumped in my way and punched me aside. I rolled across the pavement back behind Manta, parts of my skin ripping open. I lied on my side, breathing heavily as I watched Pailong, who was standing still.

Tai wouldn't stand for this. If he saw what was happening right now, he'd be at Pailong's throat. But Tai wasn't here… neither was Maylin.

"In the Tao family, to become a great shaman," Jun continued as if I hadn't interrupted, "we receive our main spirits when we are children. Ever since I was born, seventeen years ago, Lee Pailong has been under my command."

"Seventeen years…" Manta breathed.

I closed my eyes, feeling despair rising inside me as I remembered Tai's confusion and sadness at Pailong's sudden death, and I wished that I had felt something, tried to comfort him somehow…

I opened my eyes to see Jun smirk. "Lee Pailong is the best present given to me by my father."

Manta fell onto his hands and knees, but I couldn't pity him. He didn't know how I was feeling; Manta was a fan. I _knew _Pailong, but not as well as Tai had…

'_**Pailong**__**!' **_I mentally screeched to him, focusing solely on him so that only he could hear me. _**'Pailong!'**_

If Pailong heard me, he gave no sign that he did.

I shook myself on the inside. He knew Maylin, not me.

"The Pailong I used to admire…was killed for this," Manta cried softly. "I can't believe this."

"You're so stupid for crying," Jun observed. "No matter how much emotion you show, kyonshii don't have feelings."

"That's not true!"

I stiffened as I heard Yoh's voice, but I was feeling too terrible to look up.

"Spirit's aren't things!" Yoh continued. "It's the feeling itself. There is no spirit without feelings!"

I heard Manta and Yoh converse softly, and then heard Yoh chuckle. How could he laugh now, when he was so hurt…?

"Impossible!" Jun shouted. "There shouldn't be anyone who can take Lee Pailong's attacks and still stand!"

"Of course it hurt," Yoh said, nearly hissing. I heard his feet scuff the pavement as he stood. "Even so, to me and Amidamaru, attacks with any hesitation won't work!"

Hesitation? Pailong was…hesitating?

"No matter how much you may control his body with the talisman," Yoh continued, "you can't control Pailong's heart! Isn't that right, Lee Pailong?"

As I stared at Pailong's face, a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Impossible!" Jun scoffed angrily. "For a corpse to have feelings!" She broke off and turned towards Yoh, and I could tell thoughts were turning in her head.

She stiffened. "That cannot be! Pailong! He's not dead yet; hurry up and finish him!"

Pailong didn't move.

"What are you doing!" Jun demanded. "Well?"

Pailong twitched, and he struggled to move his arm toward his nunchaku. Could he… I sat up, my head pounding, and watched.

Suddenly, Pailong jumped forward, bridging the gap between him and Yoh in almost an instant, wrapping the chain of his weapon around one of Yoh's arms.

"I'll pull that talisman off!" Yoh declared. "I'll set you free, Pailong!"

"It's impossible to win against Lee Pailong," Jun chastised. "Don't you get that by now?"

"Of course I don't!" Yoh stood his ground. "I'll try until the very end!"

Yoh grunted and jumped into the air, but Pailong kneed him in the stomach, sending him flying back to land on his back before us.

Jun walked forward. "That's why I said it was impossible. To my Lee Pailong, an attack in that range in definite. Pailong, kill him."

Again, Pailong didn't move.

"Pailong!" Jun commanded.

Stiffly, Pailong walked forward and began attempting to whack Yoh with his nunchaku, but Yoh weakly managed to block the attacks with his pipe.

"Anna-san, we have to help Yoh!" Manta pleaded. He turned to me. "Tori-kun!"

As much as I wanted to help Yoh, as much as I knew I could stop this in an instant with my oversoul, I couldn't do it. Not to Pailong; he reminded me too much of Tai. I hung my head. This was exactly why I couldn't get too attached.

"I was never planning to help him," Anna said simply. "This is just another trial Yoh has to face before becoming Shaman King. If he loses to an opponent like this, he can never become the Shaman King."

I was barely listening.

"I don't want to become the wife of a man who doesn't even have a chance of success in the future," Anna finished.

"What kind of woman are you!" Manta accused, taken aback by the both of us.

"Shut up!" Anna commanded. "Women are realistic. Even so…I think Yoh can be the Shaman King. That's why I'm here."

Yoh suddenly cried out in pain, falling down onto the ground. Amidamaru floated beside Yoh.

"I'm sorry, Yoh-dono. If we only had something like a real katana, I might be able to do something."

"Something like a katana…?" Yoh grunted through the pain.

"If I had a katana with a grip handle, I could destroy his defense and attack him outside of his range, and destroy that talisman," Amidamaru explained.

"From outside his range?" Yoh repeated.

Suddenly, Jun and Pailong were standing in front of us. "You are a shameful samurai for blaming your lack of skill on a katana," Jun reprimanded. She turned to Manta. "If you don't want to get involved, get out of here."

Manta backed up. "Y-you're serious?" I saw him shaking with fear as he stared at her, and suddenly he turned and fled, screaming.

"Manta!" Yoh called.

"He's a smart friend," Jun observed. She narrowed her eyes. "I can't play around with you anymore." She pulled out another talisman. "I'll finish this now."

* * *

_*Note: Ren wants to know how Tori burned him so he can do it, too, as an advantage in battle, if that was unclear, which it probably was._


	7. Shamon

**DISCLAIMER: Shaman King isn't mine; if it was... well, I don't own SK, so I wouldn't know. Idk. Trying to insert something clever is hard.**

_I dislike this chapter. I just... don't like it. *pokes chap* This was never my faveorite episode anyways. . But we must endure. And laugh/giggle/poke at Jun and Pailong's luffleness. XD The next chap will be better, I promise :P_

_I don't know if there's any notes... Tori basically does nothing in this chapter but be moody. Sorries :3 Filllerrrrrr, I guess. . _Normal text and "speaking," _Thinking, 'Signing/mouthing,' **'telepathy,' **"Flashback mode." XD_

_Enjoy...!_

**Seven: Shamon**

Pailong punched at Yoh, smashing the pavement where Yoh had sat just a second before. Pieces of tar flew and smacked into my already battered body, and I winced.

As Yoh dodged Pailong's attacks, a hand appeared in front of my face, and I looked up to see Anna standing there, her expression unreadable. Numbly, I let her help me up, and we both stood and watched the battle without speaking.

Pailong punched upward, hitting Yoh square in the stomach and causing the shaman to cry out in pain. Pailong punched Yoh's face, kneed him in the stomach, and kicked him to the ground.

For what felt like the first time in my life, I did not want to watch shamans fighting. I wanted to run away, after Manta. This was not fighting; this was torture. But I had seen countless battles before; why should this one be any different?

I knew the answer, of course.

"I told you, there's no point in resisting," Jun stated. "You have no chance of winning. A samurai without a katana cannot match Pailong."

I watched helplessly as Pailong pounded Yoh. I could tell that Nix thought it would be wise for us to end this now, but he understood why I could not do it.

Pailong pulled out his nunchaku and whipped it at Yoh, who desperately put his arms up to protect his face. Pailong punched him in the stomach, and then kicked him into the air. Pailong pounced after him, repeatedly kicking and punching Yoh before knocking him into the side of a building and punching him in the stomach.

Why was this taking so long? Why couldn't there be something to end this?

'_**You can end it,' **_Nix told me.

'_**No, I can't. I'll obliterate Pailong… I can't do that to Tai's friend.'**_

'_**He's already dead, isn't he?'**_Nix pointed out grimly. _**'I'm sure he'd rather be gone than here. And Tai would understand that too.'**_

Tears streamed down my face. I had to do it. I had to stop this. I prepared myself to shift Nix from me into the feather tied around my neck…

_Tai smiled at me, his eyes warm even though mine must've been as cold as stone. "Remember? I've gotta go back to work. Wanna come with? Pailong'll be there."_

I stopped dead with a soundless gasp. I couldn't do it… I just couldn't…

"If you give me Amidamaru, I'll end your pain," Jun coaxed. She let out a small huff. "What a fool."

Throughout the entire thing, Anna's face was passive; I saw this when I looked at her, trying desperately to do anything but look at the brutality. But then, I saw Anna's hand clench tightly around her arm. My eyes flickered back to the fight.

Pailong jumped back into the air to come back down and deliver a swift kick to Yoh, causing him to land facedown on the pavement.

"Pailong won't stop attacking until you are dead," Jun continued as Pailong walked towards Yoh. "The more you resist, the more painful it will be."

"Amidamaru…" Yoh gasped out, somehow managing to stand. "As I said, he is my friend! Also… Amidamaru hasn't given up this fight, either!"

As he said this, Pailong delivered another kick, sending Yoh backwards into the brick wall behind him.

"If I… if I give up first," Yoh managed, "it'll be bad for Amidamaru!"

Again… Yoh was putting his friends before himself. I wondered vaguely how he could do this…

"Even so close to death, friendship is more important than your life?" Jun asked. "That's pretty tough to understand. What good are friends for?"

Suddenly, there was a light, and I finally felt a glimmer of hope when I saw Manta standing there, holding a wooden sword.

"Getting rid of you people, for example," Manta answered Jun's question. His clothes and hair were disheveled, and he had a black eye and scrapes all over his skin.

"Didn't you run away?" Jun asked disbelievingly.

"Those wounds…" Yoh breathed. I could only hear him because of Nix's keen senses.

Manta walked up to Yoh and held out the wooden sword. "A katana with a grip…I'm sorry for making you wait."

"Manta…" Yoh's eyes were wide.

"Yoh-kun is fighting to save my hero," Manta explained. "So I wanted to help, too. Because we're friends."

I realized that I hadn't been thinking straight this entire time. Yes, if I had helped by using oversoul, I might have completely destroyed Pailong, but not if I just destroyed his talisman. He wasn't like the other kyonshii - he had a soul. His body wouldn't disappear once the talisman was destroyed. But I had been too emotional to think rationally. I felt incredibly stupid, relieved, and worried, all at the same time.

"Manta fought greatly," came a voice; I looked up to see that the light was coming from a motorcycle. On it sat Ryu. "Accept it."

Yoh stood. "Yeah. Thank you, Manta," he said, grasping the wooden sword from his friend. "I appreciate it."

Manta scratched the back of his head sheepishly in response.

Yoh took a ready stance with the wooden sword; already, he looked more confident. "Are you ready, Amidamaru?"

"Of course!" Amidamaru replied, appearing above Yoh.

"What can you do with that wooden sword?" Jun asked, almost jokingly. She pointed. "Pailong! Destroy him! Go!"

Pailong dashed toward Yoh, who also dashed forward. Pailong let out a kick, but Yoh absorbed the force of it with the sword. The two kept going in their own directions, and then turned around to face each other again.

"_Shinkuu Buttagiri!_" Yoh slashed outward, a red substance flying toward Pailong.

There was a blast of air from the attack, and then stillness. I hardly dared to breathe as I watched. I don't think anyone did.

"It's over," Anna declared quietly yet triumphantly an instant before the cap encasing Pailong's head and the talisman broke, revealing Pailong's face.

"It's the real Pailong!" Ryu exclaimed.

I wanted to sob in relief, but I held myself together. I had to stay quiet; I couldn't let them know about my tie to Pailong. Reincarnation was something that only Hao could do of his own free will; I had no choice, but the others might not agree. They couldn't know anything about my job. Not even Pailong, with his tie to my past brother.

"Pai…long…?" the movie star asked in confusion. He walked slowly over to the glass-encased bulletin board that advertised his film. He touched the glass.

"That's right…" he breathed. "I am Lee Pailong…" Suddenly, he gasped as he saw what was written on the poster. "For seventeen years? What have I been doing…? What is going on?" he screamed, punching and shattering a hole in the glass.

Pailong gasped again. He shook as he pulled his scarred hand out of the glass. "Why don't I feel any pain?" he rasped, his eyes wide. "Why don't I bleed?"

"It's sad to see you acting like this, Pailong," Jun said harshly. "You're already dead."

Pailong turned his head around to look at her. "What?"

"A kyonshii should act like a kyonshii," Jun stated, half of her face hidden behind a talisman. "And follow my, doshi Tao Jun's, orders!"

"Tao…" Pailong breathed. His eyes suddenly widened, as if remembering something. Without thought, I mentally reached out to his mind, and saw what he was seeing.

"_Lee Pailong," said a figure in the doorway. A gun was pointing directly at him. "It's a shame, but you are about to become the Tao family's main spirit. I am sorry about this."_

_There was a single gunshot, and then nothing._

I snapped back to my own mind, shocked at myself for breaking into another's mind like that. But more than that, I was feeling for him. Waking up after seventeen years and not knowing what you were doing the entire time…

Jun threw a talisman toward Pailong, but Pailong caught it in his fist, effectively stopping the attack.

"What's going on?" Ryu asked.

"He rebelled against his doshi," Anna explained quietly.

Pailong's fist clenched around the talisman, and it shredded in his hands. "I… I lost everything because of you. My life… my dream…" He turned to Jun. "Because of _you_?"

Pailong pulled out his nunchaku and whipped it at Jun, who jumped out of the way. She made to throw another talisman at him, but he grabbed her wrist and stopped her. She dropped to the ground, and managed to dodge the attacks Pailong sent at her. He made to strike her with his nunchaku, but Yoh suddenly stood in the way, blocking the attack with the wooden sword.

There was a second of silence before Jun breathed, "You…saved me?"

"What are you doing?" Pailong demanded of Yoh, staying still as his nunchaku was wrapped around the sword.

"Hey Pailong…how does revenge feel?" Yoh asked, gritting his teeth. "Fun? That can't be, right? Even if you had revenge on her, the things you've lost won't return. The fact that you'd dead won't change. Then let's think," Yoh added, more softly, "of ways you can spend your time more enjoyably."

"Shut up!" Pailong declared, breaking the wooden sword as he pulled his nunchaku back towards himself and began whipping them at Yoh at blinding speed; Yoh managed to block them with the halves of the wooden sword.

I wanted to speak up, to help, but Nix kept my throat silent and I didn't dare reach out with my mind.

"What kind of fight is this?" Ryu asked, rather confused by the whole situation as he was not a shaman.

"Yoh-kun's unity stamina should be near its limit," said Manta, ignoring Ryu.

"Tao Jun!" Yoh glanced back at her as he stood his ground against Pailong. "At this rate, Pailong will be consumed by hatred and will become an evil spirit! Is there any way to stop this?"

Jun watched Pailong's flying fists for a moment before hanging her head. "It's impossible… Unless someone can defeat Pailong… but no one can stop Pailong now."

It _was _possible. I knew it was possible, but I just couldn't do it…

"Everyone will be killed!" Jun looked on the verge of panic, but suddenly Anna slapped her across the face, effectively silencing her.

"Why are you giving up?" Anna scolded bitterly. "He's your main spirit, isn't he? Take some responsibility."

"My…main spirit…" Jun breathed, gazing despairingly at Pailong.

"Someone who can defeat Pailong," Anna continued. "Can you think of anyone?"

Jun hung her head again. "No. Who could be stronger than Pailong?" Suddenly, she tensed.

"There is someone, isn't there?" Anna asked, eyes narrowed.

"…If I remember correctly…Pailong was unable to defeat his master."

Master… Shamon! Pailong had always spoke with such reverence about Shamon to Tai. He had never been able to come close to defeating him…

"Shamon," I rasped, my voice barely audible. I involuntarily clutched at my throat at the pain.

"Shamon!" Manta cried. "He's was Pailong's teacher who taught him kung fu! To Pailong, he wasn't just a martial arts teacher, but a life teacher as well!"

"But what about him?" Jun asked hopelessly. "He died a long time ago…"

"That's good," Anna replied, whipping out her itako beads. "I'm an expert at spells of the ancient spirits. Anytime, anywhere, no matter where it is, I can recall the spirit. Because I am the itako, Anna!"

"Itako…?" Jun breathed.

"It's a group of shamans," Manta explained excitedly. "They're similar to doshis."

I watched as Anna held out her itako beads, moving them in a rhythmic manner along with her chant. She opened her eyes, and they glowed. She closed them again and held out her beads with both hands, allowing bits of spirit to gather into a form behind her. She smiled slightly. "Yoh!"

Yoh jumped away from Pailong, forcing Amidamaru out of his body to make way for the spirit that Anna had called. Anna ran up to him, making a motion like whacking Yoh's back with the beads, causing the spirit to merge into Yoh's body.

Yoh's body glowed, and he was slumped. He put a hand to his ear, the elderly-looking spirit beside him doing the same. "Huh? What?"

I was speechless. Shamon was an old man now! Could he really have the skill to help defeat Pailong?

Pailong screeched, darting forward to punch at Yoh; easily, Yoh slipped out of the way just enough to dodge. The same happened again when Pailong tried to kick him, then again and again. With another scream of fury, Pailong kicked forward; Yoh jumped into the air, causing Pailong's leg to impale the brick and become stuck in the wall of the alley. Effortlessly, Yoh landed on Pailong's shin.

"Pailong, your moves are flawed because of your fury," Shamon said, using Yoh as a way to speak - in response, Pailong's eye widened as Yoh and Shamon continued. "Haven't I taught you? The most important thing for a martial artist to do is calm themselves!"

Pailong gritted his teeth and pulled his foot out of the wall, but once again, Yoh jumped off, this time off Pailong's knee. Pailong jumped into the air after him and made to punch him, but Yoh easily blocked it with his arm. Pailong, unnerved, kept punching, but Yoh kept blocking and dodging.

Yoh pulled himself behind Pailong, and a purplish orb appeared in his hands, which he lobbed into Pailong's back, sending him crashing to the ground.

"That's an attack invented by Daodan Do!" Manta exclaimed. "Shamon's Shadow Fist!"

Amidamaru gasped. "Pailong is being treated as if he were a child!"

As Pailong kneeled on the ground, Yoh landed behind him, and Shamon's spirit came forward. "Fury clouds one's heart. Abandon your fury, Pailong."

"Why shouldn't I be furious?" Pailong hissed, standing up. "I… My life was taken away, and I've lost everything."

"You didn't lose everything," Shamon disputed. "When you have lost everything, you can't even feel fury anymore. Yet you are furious. Why? Because your devotion to the completion of Daodan Do remains in your heart."

Pailong made a sound as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't.

"Is this martial art full of fury?" Shamon pressed. "The Daodan Do you seek?"

"Shut up!" Pailong demanded, pulling out his nunchaku and lunging at Yoh. With ease, Yoh and Shamon dodged.

"This is just like a child fighting!" Shamon continued. They dodged another of Pailong's attacks. "If you let your feelings show so clearly, anyone can dodge your attacks." Another lunge, another dodge. "If you don't calm down, your future will be forever closed to you."

Pailong skidded on the pavement and leaped at Yoh again.

"How ignorant. If you can't cool down your fury, I will personally calm your heart!" Shamon vowed, twisting Yoh's body into a stance. As one, they pulled their fists in, and when Pailong struck, their glowing fists caused Pailong's nunchaku to disintegrate and for Pailong to fly backwards.

As Pailong lay on the ground, the seal on his chest glowed, and his true spirit form appeared, standing next to his body. His eyes were wide as he looked at Shamon. "…M-master…"

Shamon raised his hand. "Yo!" he called cheerfully.

Pailong gasped and bowed. "Please forgive me! Because of my lack of skill, you had to come all this way."

Shamon turned back to Yoh, who was splayed on the ground in exhaustion and was surrounded by Manta, Amidamaru, and Ryu - I stood off to the side of them, keeping quiet and small.

"It's all thanks to that boy. To save you and everyone else, he fought."

I watched Yoh, wanting and not wanting to look at Pailong. I was relieved that Pailong was all right, but every one of my lives had red hair and blue eyes, something that could be easily recognizable to someone who knew me before - even Pailong, who only knew me as his friend's little sister. I couldn't let Pailong realize who I was. My job meant secrecy and isolation, something that I was having trouble with lately.

Yoh sat up. He and Pailong stared at each other for a moment before Yoh smiled reassuringly. Pailong's eyes softened.

"Your Daodan Do will live on in everyone's hearts," Shamon said to Pailong. "That is something to be grateful for, Pailong."

Pailong nodded. "Yes."

I looked up as I heard footsteps, and saw Jun walking away.

Anna's words halted her. "Will you abandon Pailong and leave?"

"…Maybe I was wrong," Jun admitted. "Even though he was my main spirit, I knew nothing about Pailong." She was silent for a moment. "I don't even know right from wrong now. But I can say this much." She turned around. "I was totally defeated. He's a great person…Asakura Yoh."

"Of course he is," Anna said. "Yoh is my fiance."

Jun turned away. "I don't have the right to keep Pailong." She began to walk away.

"Wait, please."

I watched in confusion as Jun stopped at Pailong's words.

"I can't rest in peace yet," Pailong insisted. "As long as I can, I will pursue my dreams. Even if it is the form of a kyonshii, some day…" He walked up behind Jun. "Tao Jun…I swear to you that I will never give into my fury again. So… will you make me into a kyonshii and allow me to stay by your side?"

Jun was frozen for a moment before she turned around. Her expression softened as she bowed her head. "All right. But, without the talisman."

We watched as Jun and Pailong walked away. Pailong turned and smiled at us, and purely by accident, his eyes caught mine. I saw confusion register there, and I could almost see him mentally shake himself. I may have looked familiar somehow, but he couldn't know me. I sighed, not knowing if it was in relief or disappointment - my last connection to Tai was walking away. I looked up at the moon, and froze.

On the building that Yoh had been slammed against sat an instantly recognizable figure, and I involuntarily touched my lips in fright. Ren was still there…

"Are you all right?" Yoh asked, giving me a start. I hastily nodded.

He frowned. "What happened, earlier? When that kyonshii got you?"

My arms felt too tired, and even though my throat was going to hate me, I spoke quietly. "It brought me to Ren. He asked me how I burned him, but I couldn't answer."

Manta turned to me. "How'd you get away from him?"

I couldn't tell them the truth; I could hardly believe it myself. I had never kissed a person in this life (nor had I been planning to; I had never been attached like _that_ to anyone at any time), and that had definitely been something I did only out of desperation. I had been so panicked that I had barely even felt it.

I quickly searched for something to say, and my eyes caught Ryu. I smirked to hide the fact that I was lying as my eyes found Manta again. "I kicked him where it hurts."


	8. Yugai

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King, this is merely a fan's fiction. :P**

_I don't think there's much to say. Chap's a bit on the short side I guess and a little bit more is explained. And some plot is stuffed in here as well, I suppose. Remember, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to PM me or anything._

Normal text and "speaking," _thinking, 'sign language and mouthing,' **'telepathy.'**_

**Eight: Yugai**

I didn't move out of the Asakura household, but I sure didn't stay there all day anymore. I left the house more and more, giving Yoh and Manta excuses like wanting to go to the mall or go visit some friends (that didn't exist) or just plain not giving them an excuse at all. Even if Anna began to recruit me for a cleaning job, I'd ignore the fact that she was incredibly deadly and head out anyway. I could tell that Yoh and Manta were concerned with my sudden change, but they never addressed the issue.

Seeing Pailong and Yoh battle had made me realize that I couldn't stick around Yoh anymore all the time. If this wasn't the time just before the Tournament, I might have been more relaxed about friendship and such, but I'd gone through many lifetimes of near solitude already to prepare myself for the times of the choosing of the Shaman King. In theory, it should have been easy to watch shamans battling without me worrying too much or trying to interfere, but Yoh had become my friend. It was becoming nearly impossible to just stand by and watch the snot get beaten out of him.

Right now, I was just coming down the stairs of the house to head out when I heard a familiar voice coming from the main room.

"Please! Let me become your student!"

I walked into the doorway to see Ryu bowing on his knees to Yoh; the rest of Ryu's gang was sitting behind him, looking out of place to me in such a… normal setting.

Yoh blinked. "Are you asking me?"

Ryu raised his head. "Who else can I ask?" He rose a little higher. "I want to be a shaman too!"

"What?" Manta exclaimed, nearly falling over; he was wearing his 'maid outfit' - a pink apron with a yellow headscarf. It made him look like an adorable little doll.

"He was deeply touched by Yoh-san's fight," one of Ryu's friends, a bulky guy in an orange sweatshirt, explained to Manta in a whisper.

Ryu bowed his head. "As you know, I am reaching my end. There is no room in society for me. What enjoyment is there while riding on my bike with my friends? Even then, I need money for gas. The world is a harsh place.

"Whenever I'm on my bike, I think… 'Where did I come from? Where am I going?'" He paused. "I ride like a madman on the never-ending highways. I think that if I keep riding, I'll end up somewhere, at least. I'm just trying to say that…I have the heart of a traveler with nowhere to go. That's all."

There was silence for a moment. I didn't know that Ryu had such depth. But if he wanted to become a shaman, he had a long way to go. If he wanted to even have a chance at making it to Patch Village, he'd have to work every single day until then to build up his furyoku.

Ryu bowed again. "Master," he addressed Yoh, "during your fight, I saw a real man! As a man, becoming a shaman is the only path for me! Please! Let me become your student!" he begged, bowing deeply.

Yoh hesitated, scratching his face. "I don't know what to say…"

"Okay," Anna agreed suddenly. Everyone, including me, looked at her in confusion. She looked almost…bored. But Anna always had something up her sleeve…

"Only if you pass the test," she warned Ryu.

()()()()()()()()

I would have gone out, but when I heard what Anna wanted Ryu to do, my stomach made me stay; I was thankful for it, because soon I was rewarded with a meal fit for an emperor, consisting of fresh fish and rice.

I wanted to eat immediately, but before we could eat, it was an unspoken agreement that Anna was to judge the food first. She scrutinized the meal with an expert, cold eye, and picked up a bowl. She pulled out a bit of dumpling inside with her chopsticks and tasted it. Anna chewed slowly, her eyes closed, and then swallowed.

"Mistress Anna?" Ryu pressed.

Anna opened her eyes. "You pass. You can start work immediately."

As Ryu celebrated and his friends talked amongst themselves, Manta, Yoh, and I helped ourselves to the food. I had to admit it was delicious, and I ignored all talking around the table as I ate - it wasn't as if I could respond with my hands so busy.

Before long, I was absolutely stuff, but I gulped down another few mouthfuls for good measure as well as good taste. With a quick wave and an exit to rival its speed, I left for the day.

In the city, I wandered aimlessly around to watch for shamans. More were gathering every day; I could sense it. I fingered the charm I had torn off of Ren's Kwan Dao and wondered if any of them were stronger than him. I had caught myself thinking about him more often that usual, and not for the reason you might think. I didn't want to kiss him again (never kissing him was too much, and a panic-ensued peck probably made me at least number two on his to-kill list, second to Yoh, if not higher); I was thinking about him because Pailong kept popping up in my mind. Did he ever miss Tai? Did he ever wonder where he was? Did he know yet that Tai had been hit by a car just three years after Pailong had been shot? Did he like being the main spirit of the sister of the boy who scared the crap out of me?

The other night, did he think that I was Maylin?

It was odd to refer to myself in the third person, but technically, Maylin _had _been a different person; she had had a completely different personality than me. Completely closed off and meek in build, but still, all my lives had things in common: blue eyes, red hair, my soul, my memories, my gender, my muteness, and my debt. And Nix, too. He always managed to find me whenever I reincarnated. I also never had the true capacity for friendship, but for some reason that probably only the Great Spirt knew, I had friends in this life.

I was walking along the street adjacent to the hotel that I knew Ren to be in. Even though I still hadn't gotten over my fear of him (when would that happen, anyway?), I couldn't give a crap if he saw me out his window or something. I had used some money (which had been rapidly depleting before I got free room and board at Yoh's) to buy and extendable staff just a day after Yoh had fought Pailong. If Ren wanted a fight, let him come. I wouldn't need oversoul to give him something to be sore about.

I was just about to lose sight of the entrance to the hotel in the sea of people in the streets when I saw the doors open to reveal a tall girl with aqua hair in an interesting red leather outfit emerge. She was obviously a shaman, I could tell that much; she was smirking as well.

Something was definitely up, and I changed direction and decided to tail her at a distance.

()()()()()()()()

The late afternoon light was once again orange as the sun began to set. The girl had gone to a park, and I watched her from behind a few trees, Nix perched on my shoulder. She was just standing there, waiting.

I focused my mind and cast out its senses, picking up three approaching people, one a shaman. Yoh. So that's who this girl was waiting for. I pulled my extendable staff out of my bag, admiring its lightweight yet stiff aluminum that made it easy to knock people out with one good whack over the head. Not that I'd do that to just anyone, of course.

I merged with Nix just as I heard the approaching footsteps of Yoh, Manta, and Ryu. I crept forward through the trees and knelt behind the line of bushes separating the forest from the main path. If I was needed, I'd be able to help in a flash. If I was needed.

I watched as Yoh and the other two noticed the girl and stopped, giving her a curious glance.

In a quiet, deadly voice, the girl spoke. "Prepare to die, Asakura Yoh."

Ryu tipped his head to the side in an incredibly confused manner, while Manta turned to Yoh.

Suddenly, the girl's spirit, a ninja kyonshii by the looks of it, darted forward, and Yoh pushed Manta and Ryu aside roughly so that they were out of the line of fire. The ninja threw out a thin line that wrapped around Yoh's neck and tightened.

Ryu screamed and dashed at the ninja, swinging a new wooden sword that hit the kyonshii in the head but made no damage whatsoever. The kyonshii knocked Ryu back coincidently into the exact tree that was next to me, throwing darts that just managed to miss Ryu's head.

Yoh freed himself from the line and jumped back. "I thought I was going to die there… Thank you, Ryu!" he called to Ryu, who gave him a jerky peace-sign in response.

As Yoh called out Amidamaru, I decided to exit my hiding place and help Manta with Ryu. But just as I stood, I changed my mind and backed up a bit so that I was behind more trees. I had to stop trying to help. Yoh was fine on his own, and I had to just watch. Like always.

By now, Ryu had given Yoh his wooden sword, and Yoh was putting up a good fight against the kyonshii. He had thrown it to the ground, and was turning to face it when the ninja stood and cloned herself.

They were really just shadows of herself, a trick I could easily avoid with my telepathy, but Yoh was confused. A shadow would jump at him and he would slash at it, only to find that it was an illusion, too late to block the attack from the real opponent.

I watched silently as Yoh finally focused his awareness and managed to hit the kyonshii, breaking her visor and sending her flying backwards. She flipped and skidded to a stop on her feet before throwing a ball onto the ground, releasing a cloud of smoke. The smoke didn't blow in my direction, but I picked up a faint whiff of it with Nix's senses and felt slightly woozy; I peered into the cloud of smoke and saw Ryu and Manta fall onto the ground.

I tensed. I wasn't going to jump in just yet, but if it looked like Manta (or Ryu, I admitted to myself a little begrudgingly) was going to get hurt, I'd swoop in there like a bird and pluck them out of harm's way.

Yoh struggled to stand up straight; the kyonshii smirked and threw out her darts, just barely scraping Yoh's skin. She threw them again, this time straight at Yoh's face, but he blocked them with the wooden sword just in the nick of time; the aqua-haired girl's eyes narrowed.

Yoh brought himself into a ready position, albeit a slightly sleepy one. "Amidamaru is a samurai who has killed a thousand people," he stated, his eyes narrowed in satisfaction. "To him, numbness isn't a problem. Right, Amidamaru?"

Amidamaru's spirit floated above Yoh. "Right!"

"You talk too much, brat," the aqua-haired girl spat - I had to agree with her a little bit; Yoh did tend to talk a lot during matches. "Shut him up, Yugai!"

The kyonshii threw her darts and then darted toward Yoh, who slashed at the air. "_Shinkuu Buttagiri!_"

The red slashing attack hit the stone pathway, but the kyonshii, Yugai, had jumped into the air to evade. Yoh slashed again, and Amidamaru triumphantly declared, "You can't dodge in the air!"

The attack hit Yugai, and a moment later, her body exploded into a bunch of lights with a shriek.

The aqua-haired girl was speechless. Yoh turned to her, putting his hands behind his head in a lazy manner. "What do you plan to do now?"

The girl glared, and then walked stiffly away without a word, defeated.

I smiled. I didn't need to help at all, nor did I need to worry. Yoh was getting to be a better shaman every day. Knowing that, it might ease some of the discomfort I felt while watching him, but I decided that I shouldn't watch him for a while after this. I needed to keep my distance.

I was about to walk out onto the path to greet them when something suddenly grabbed my arm and I was pushed against a tree. When I saw that it was a Kwan Dao at my neck, adrenaline immediately pumped into my system, and I felt my palms starting to sweat as I saw who was at the other end of the weapon.

This time, Ren kept himself at a good distance from me, but the Kwan Dao was still pointed at my neck. Despite what I had thought earlier, I didn't want to fight with him. Everything about him screamed at me to run, especially his icy eyes, which were incredibly hard to look away from because they were so full of hatred.

"Why are you hiding in here while your _friends _are out there?" he demanded, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I'll give you fifteen seconds to tell me. If your spirit unites with you, you won't move an inch before you die. If you don't answer me, you'll die anyway. So you'd better start talking."

Oh, the things I might say to him if I wasn't mute. Or completely terrified.

"Ten seconds," Tao Ren snarled, his already tense muscles tightening.

Feeling a sudden burst of courage, I signed, _'I'm mute, you dumbass,' _and pointedly gave him the finger.

I was either the bravest person in the world right now, or so stupid they should lock me up.

Ren growled and slashed his Kwan Dao, but I extended my staff and blocked the attack, holding it there; Ren was physically stronger than me, and my arms were nearly buckling.

"Why the hell are you not talking?" Ren asked heatedly.

'_I'm mute,' _I mouthed, my hands a little too busy to talk.

"Stop fooling around!" Ren did a complicated maneuver and managed to slice part of my left arm before knocking my staff out of my hands. Before he could make another move, however, Nix flew into my body and merged with me.

Ren made to stab, but I ducked down and hurried over to try and grab my staff. Before I could go far, however, he slashed again, and I heard the back of my shirt rip along with part of my skin.

I bit back a howl of pain, my vision blackening at the edges of my sight. Ren had been so close to my mark…

I scrambled away, and though I was certainly an easy target, Ren didn't skewer me. It was only a matter of time, though. Fighting against the oncoming tide of darkness, I managed to grab my staff and turn around defensively, only to see that Ren was gone. I was alone.

I didn't know what had made Ren leave (perhaps he had seen my mark, but I wouldn't know why that would make him go), but right now I didn't care. I put my hands to the wound on my back and focused until I felt the warm tingling that told me it was healing. I did the same for my arm, thankful that Ren hadn't done anything else to me.

I was nearly shaking with exhaustion; I wasn't used to healing this much at once. I hadn't done it for goodness knew how long. But right now I had to find a way to wash off the blood before I went back to the house. I had to hurry; Yoh and the other must've heard at least some of the struggle, unless they were still muddled from the smoke. If they saw the blood and slashes on my shirt they'd freak; even more if they saw that I didn't have any injuries. I could've just walked out and said that Ren had attacked me, but I hadn't been thinking before I healed myself.

I stood and hurried away through the trees as fast as I could, Nix on my shoulder. I was not going to take the main path in case anyone saw me; it was not a good thing so see someone covered with fresh blood and no visible wounds.

'_**I can hear Anna,'**_ Nix told me. _**'The house must be empty. If we hurry you can get washed and changed before they get back.'**_

I nodded, not bothering to respond mentally (for my mind was still foggy), and ran back toward the house.

()()()()()()()()

I was just emerging from the onsen in a fresh outfit when everyone else got home. Though I wanted nothing more than to go upstairs and sleep, I put on a smile and went to greet them.

Throughout dinner, I heard a play-by-play recount of the battle against the strange girl which I had already seen. I managed to give out smiles and nods and shocked looks at all the right times, however, as Manta excitedly showed how Yoh had fought using exaggerated gestures; all this made Yoh blush and scratch the back of his head sheepishly.

Though I could tell Yoh was exhausted as well, when I went upstairs I saw Anna get her revenge for him not coming home when he was supposed to; while I laid down on my futon for the night, Yoh was being subjected to a full hour of sitting in the invisible chair while lifting weights at the same time.

* * *

_Horo-kun should be in the next chapter if I'm remembering right! ^_^_


	9. HoroHoro

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King.**

_Quote: ""To make my big dream come true!" HoroHoro explained as we searched further._

_"Dream?" Yoh repeated. "A comedian?"" Oh, Yoh, that's Chocolove's dream! xD_

_I thought I'd be nice and upload today instead of tomorrow. On Thursday, if I'm not too busy/if I remember, I'm going to upload chapter 10 AND 11 as a one-month-story-anniversary prezzie! XD Yay! (If there was ever SK episodes I dislike, it's episode 10 and 11; I'm getting them out of the way. xD)_

_Longest chapter yet. I'm pretty sure I heard somewhere that 1 U.S. dollar is equal to 10 yen, but I'm not sure. In any case, that's my basis._

_Wooooooot! :D Oh, my tree-hugging-Ainu-friend BoroBoro, you were my first SK love back in the day. Though Ren has replaced you, you'll have a special place in my heart, the place I put people with blue hair in. I want your headband._

Normal text and "speaking," _thinking, 'sign language and mouthing,' **'telepathy.'**_

**Nine: HoroHoro**

It was another day of attempting to avoid spending the day with Yoh; though Manta and I had started joined him on his daily run, I had stayed only five minutes before I gave them a wave and went off down another path. As usual, I saw Yoh frown as I left, but it was quickly replaced with a grin as he waved at my retreating figure and called a goodbye.

My bag slung over my shoulder, I decided to walk down toward the park; it was several streets away and I could've gotten there faster by using a different route, but I could sense a shaman in the area, one that I didn't think I'd sensed before.

It was early morning and the streets weren't especially crowded, and it wasn't long before I saw someone sitting on the street cross-legged in front of a mat of crafts. He looked to be about my age and wore a ski jacket with Ainu markings, shorts, and had a snowboard strapped to his back. The most interesting thing about him, though, was his blue, spiky hair.

I slowed when I neared him, eyeing the crafts before I knelt down to look at them. I wondered if the Ainu knew that he was this close to another shaman.

The boy stared at me for a moment before he grinned broadly. "You want one? I made them myself," he boasted.

I smiled and picked up a bracelet that was made of red, circular beads. It was very pretty; it reminded me of Nix's feathers.

"You like that one?" the boy asked; I could tell he was trying to get me to talk, trying to impress me. I wanted to laugh. Boys. "That's a hundred yen, but I'll give it to you for sixty."

I let out my breathy giggle, and I could tell he was startled by the sound, but to give him his credit, he recovered quickly. I liked this guy already.

"What's your name?" he asked. "I'm Usui HoroHoro."

I saw his confusion mount when I pulled the whiteboard Yoh had bought me out of my bag and wrote on it with practiced speed before showing it to him. _'My name's Tori. I'm mute.'_

I could tell this completely blindsided HoroHoro, because he blinked, obviously trying to think of something to say. I grinned in amusement and pulled out a wad of yen that I dropped in front of him and slipped on the bracelet before standing up straight and giving him a wave as I walked away.

I was almost at the crosswalk to cross over to the other street when I heard HoroHoro call my name. I turned and saw him standing beside his mat, holding up the yen in confusion.

"This is a hundred and ten!" he called.

By his expression, I could tell that he would've liked to keep the extra money, but he just couldn't cheat a mute girl.

I smiled and waved before turning back to the crosswalk; I took a glance back to see him grinning from ear to ear.

()()()()()()()()()

It was dark out as I walked back to the house with Yoh and Manta; it was a few days later and I had meet them when they had gone out to get groceries. Manta was carrying his encyclopedia while Yoh carried the groceries; both Yoh and I were licking at our own orders of ice cream that had come from the change from buying the groceries.

Manta pointed this out to Yoh and added that Anna would punish him, but Yoh just laughed and said, "It's okay. You're the one in charge of shopping so you'll be the one who gets punished."

_Oh, Yoh's just so nice,_ I thought as Manta did another one of his little screech-fests. I was about to take another lick of my ice cream when Yoh and I both stopped at the same time. Yoh stopped because he saw a snowman in the summer; I stopped because I saw a shaman.

HoroHoro was slumped against a lamppost, seeming to have fainted from something. He didn't look like he had been hurt, thought.

'_I saw this guy earlier,' _I signed after I had clapped my hands for attention, then pointed at HoroHoro. _'He was selling stuff.'_

"What's wrong with him? Is he sick ?" Manta asked, getting a little closer towards the unconscious HoroHoro. "Maybe we should call an ambulance?"

Yoh knelt down. "Is he lost?" He let out a puff of laughter. "What a hairstyle!"

"You're supposed to worry when I person is down like this!" Manta pointed out to Yoh, far from calm.

Suddenly, we all heard HoroHoro's stomach grumble. Though I had been worried a second before, I wanted to laugh now. HoroHoro was just hungry.

"I see…" Yoh muttered, holding his ice cream bar in his mouth and pulling out something.

A moment later, Yoh had a hunk of raw salmon on a fishing line, and was holding it in front of HoroHoro as if the Ainu were a fish. Immediately, HoroHoro's nose twitched, and a fountain of drool poured out of his mouth.

"Uh…What are you doing, Yoh-kun?" Manta asked; I had to share his unnerved feeling. "And _where _did you get that fishing rod?"

Yoh chuckled.

Suddenly, HoroHoro's eyes gleamed as he suddenly grabbed at the fish with his mouth; with an exclamation of joy, Yoh pulled on the fishing rod and HoroHoro rose into the air like a hooked fish before falling onto the snowman headfirst.

"What a tough opponent," Yoh noted in calm satisfaction. Manta fell down.

()()()()()()()()

Back at the house, HoroHoro leaned back and patted his extremely overlarge stomach. "I sure ate a lot!" he exclaimed in a particularly overloud voice.

Ryu, Manta, Yoh and I took in the piles and piles of used dishes that had once been full. I'd never seen anyone eat so much, not even Yoh.

"You must've really been hungry," Manta noted; his head could just barely be seen from where I sat next to Yoh but closer to HoroHoro.

"Yeah," HoroHoro agreed without the slightest bit of embarrassment or anything. "I haven't eaten anything recently."

"Why were you lost?" Yoh asked.

"Lost?" HoroHoro repeated, sitting back up. "That is… I…"

Suddenly, there was a soft _pfft _sound, and just a second before the stink hit me, Yoh warned, "Poisonous gas."

Attempting to be polite, I didn't run headlong for the window like Ryu and Manta, but instead covered my mouth and nose with my shirt. It didn't help, and soon I was twitching on the ground like Yoh.

"Oops! Sorry!" HoroHoro exclaimed, unfazed by his own incredibly deadly stink bomb of a fart. "Can I use your bathroom?"

()()()()()()()()()

Yoh and I recovered quickly once the source of the stench was out of the room, and we waited for HoroHoro to come out of the bathroom.

"Master Yoh," Ryu muttered, "Do you smell something about him?"

"Yeah…," Yoh agreed, eyes wide. "I saw the great spiritual realm." He suddenly jerked back to reality. "Huh? His fart stinks?"

Ryu hung his head in exasperation. "I'm saying he's suspicious! A traveler in this day and age!"

"He's not a bad person," Yoh insisted.

I did my breathy giggle. _'Don't you see?' _I asked. _'He's a-'_

I was interrupted when HoroHoro suddenly burst from the bathroom, his lower half stark naked. Immediately, I hid my eyes, wanting to let out a yell of shock. I'd seen worse things before, but still, in this lifetime I'd never seen _that_… I had a feeling I'd be scarred for a while.

"What's wrong?" I heard Manta ask.

"W-what is that?" HoroHoro asked. I felt out with my telepathy and sensed one of the house's spirits rising out of the area where the toilet was. I hated it when they did that.

Manta laughed in a mixture of amusement and nervousness. "That's Tamegoro-san, the family head of the previous owners of this house," he explained. I could hear the smile in his voice. "You can see spirits too?"

()()()()()()()()()()

A little later, after HoroHoro had finished his business, we sat around the table again.

"So…," HoroHoro began. "Sorry for the lack of formality and stuff, but my name's Usui Horokeu, but you can call me HoroHoro," he introduced, jerking his thumb at himself. "You really saved me."

"Horo…," Ryu began.

"…Horo," Manta finished.

Yoh let out an exaggerated puff of laughter. "That's a funny name! If you change it a bit, it'd be BoroBoro!"

HoroHoro's cheeks heated in embarrassment as I gave Yoh a light smack on the shoulder, silently chastising him for laughing.

HoroHoro crossed his arms. "Laugh if you want to." He waited for Yoh and Ryu to quiet down before he asked, "Who are you guys? Well, I know who you are," he added, turning to me for the first time.

When the others looked confused, I signed, _'I bought this off him,' _and held up the red bracelet. Since Ryu had joined us, I had (somewhat reluctantly) taught him some sign language with help from Yoh.

Yoh laughed. "Well, that's Tori, and I'm Asakura Yoh."

"Call me Bokotou no Ryu," Ryu introduced himself.

"I'm Oyamada Manta," Manta finished.

HoroHoro stiffened and suddenly pounced at Manta, sending bits of food flying. "Kururu! I wanted to see you! Where did you go? I was so lonely!"

"W-what are you talking about!" Manta screeched.

HoroHoro was suddenly back in his seat. "Sorry. You liked like someone I know, and…my habits took over."

"What kind of habit?" Ryu asked. His question went ignored.

"By the way," Manta added, "from your name and the other name you mentioned, did you come from the Ainu?"

I rolled my eyes and gave a clap; HoroHoro, unused to my mannerisms, was a little startled. _'Look at the designs on his clothes; they're obviously Ainu.'_

HoroHoro gave me a look of confusion, and Yoh laughed and translated before turning to me. "Tori, it might help if you wrote for a little while, okay?"

I let out an exaggerated sigh and nodded, rolling my eyes at Manta, who laughed a little bit. So much for trying to keep a distance.

"Well, you're right," HoroHoro continued. "I am a member of the Ainu tribe from the vast plain up north; there, we live with Mother Nature. I have something I have to do in Tokyo, so I hitchhiked and sold crafts for money. After a while, I finally arrived in Tokyo. But I left my stuff alone to go to the bathroom, and when I got back, it was all gone!" Tears streamed down HoroHoro's face.

"So you were stolen from?" Manta asked.

HoroHoro nodded. "I'd heard rumors that Tokyo was dangerous, but I never thought something like this would happen so soon. I looked very hard for my stuff but I couldn't find them. And then I got hungry…"

"And then we found you," Manta concluded,

Yoh was practically crying a river. "You live a hard life too, BoroBoro!"

"Yeah, that's right," HoroHoro agreed. Suddenly, he threw his cup at Yoh, who was knocked over. "Who's BoroBoro?" he asked harshly.

Yoh sat right back up. "Okay! Then you can stay with us until you find your stuff."

HoroHoro leaned forward across the table. "Really?" he asked, excited.

Yoh nodded. "Yeah, this place used to be an inn. There are lots of rooms so stay as long as you like."

HoroHoro was shaking Yoh's hand, splayed across the table. "Thank you, thank you!" he cried in delight.

I felt Anna's presence just a moment before she slid open the door. "No."

"Anna!" Yoh, Manta, and Ryu cried as one, and we all turned to look at her in fright.

Anna's arms were crossed. "We aren't that wealthy to have another person stay here."

Yoh stood. "BoroBoro is in trouble!"

"It's _HoroHoro_," the Ainu insisted tiredly.

Anna glared, and I knew what was coming. "Well…if you really want to stay, you must obey my orders."

HoroHoro jumped up and held his fist determinedly. "No problem!" he declared.

Anna gave HoroHoro a list of chores, and the others muttered amongst themselves, pitying HoroHoro.

HoroHoro leaned back to Yoh and spoke behind his hand, but I heard every word. "Hey, your other sister seems to have a strict personality."

As Yoh tried to explain, I let out a breath of laughter.

"I'm not his sister, I'm his fiancee," Anna corrected as she left the room.

HoroHoro was frozen and seemed to crack. He got onto all fours on the tea table and hung his head. "I've lost. You have a fiancée and I don't even have a girlfriend."

"Get off the table," Ryu commanded.

"You know, Tori's not my sister either," Yoh added as HoroHoro slowly slipped off the table.

"What? Is she Manta's fiancé?" he asked despairingly.

Manta blushed. "N-no!"

I let out another breathy laugh and stood. _'It's late. I'm heading to bed,'_ I signed to Yoh. I waved goodnight to them and exited the room after Anna, leaving the boys alone. Something told me that I should let the boys be free of estrogen for the night.

()()()()()()()()()

The next day was bright and sunny, and while Yoh and Manta were cleaning inside the house, I decided to hang around the house and keep an eye on HoroHoro. He hadn't revealed that he was a shaman, but I wanted to see if he would do something when thought he was alone.

Currently, I was sitting on part of the roof while HoroHoro swept the walkway up to the front door. Anna came outside with her bag and passed him, eyeing him coldly before she disappeared around the side of the gate. Excitedly, HoroHoro dropped his broom and hurried to look around the gate after Anna. When he froze, I knew that Anna was right there, looking straight at him.

Anna yelled at him for neglecting his work and grabbed him, throwing him into the other side of the gate before grumbling and walking off. I chuckled to myself.

A little while later, HoroHoro was stretching, grumbling to himself - or, at least he thought it was to himself. "What a violent girl. I don't ever want to have that kind of girl for my girlfriend. Or rather… I don't even have a girlfriend…" He stretched again. "…I want a girlfriend," he muttered. "Tori's cute, but I can't even understand her." I heard a smirk enter his voice. "I'll just get that shorty Manta to teach me some of those hand signals; that'll surprise her."

I blinked in astonishment, finding myself blushing lightly. Other than Ryu that one time, no one had ever complimented me on my looks, and I had to admit that even if HoroHoro thought he was saying this in the confidence that he was alone, I was flattered.

I pushed the feeling away. I couldn't be flattered. It was my duty. If I was attached, I'd interfere with the Tournament battles almost for sure. (I'm such a hypocrite, saying these things when Yoh's already the person I consider my best friend. Jeez.)

HoroHoro was silent for another moment, before his voice turned completely serious. "Well then…" he muttered, turning around so that I could see his eyes were narrowed. He stood silently, listening for something. I reached out with my telepathy, trying to figure out what he was listening for. He walked forward, and I felt a bit of water in the area freeze. So that's what he could do…

"Hey! HoroHoro!" Yoh called loudly, startling him. Yoh was leaning out of the window near me, and he gave me a smile. I smiled back, holding up the rag I had brought with me and pointing to the window to show that I had been out here cleaning it. Yoh's grin widened, and I could tell he didn't believe me.

"Hey!" HoroHoro called angrily. "Don't scare me! I thought she came back!" He suddenly noticed me. "How long've you been out here?"

I shrugged, and he looked a little unnerved.

Yoh chuckled, his arm hanging down outside the window, the other one propping his head up. "Then let's go, too."

"Go?"

"To search for your stuff," Yoh explained.

"O-oh," HoroHoro stuttered.

()()()()()()()()()

A little while later found us - HoroHoro, Yoh, Manta, and I - standing in front of a very confusing-looking map of the town. "Let's start where you lost them," Yoh suggested.

"By the way, why did you come to Tokyo?" Manta asked when we found nothing at the place where I'd first saw HoroHoro.

"To make my big dream come true!" HoroHoro explained as we searched further.

"Dream?" Yoh repeated. "A comedian?"

"What did you say?" HoroHoro exclaimed, outraged. "My dream is something much more bigger than that!"

"Big…dream…" Yoh repeated as we took a break on a bus bench.

It was incredibly hot; Manta was sweating like crazy, while HoroHoro had unzipped his jacket. I half-wished I were a guy just then, then I could get away with doing something like that. I liked the heat, but not the humidity.

"We don't have any leads," Yoh added.

"I didn't expect this to be easy," HoroHoro pointed out.

"Hey, HoroHoro, about that story earlier," Yoh began.

"It's a flower," HoroHoro interrupted.

We looked at him in confusion, and I saw that he was looking at a little violet flower growing out of the sidewalk.

"That's pretty cool that it grows there," Manta said.

"It's pretty," Yoh added.

"Yeah," HoroHoro agreed. "But I feel sorry for it…"

()()()()()()()()()()

The sun was setting, causing the sky to blaze orange again as we sat on a bench overlooking the city.

"Koro Pokkuru?" Yoh repeated in confusion.

Manta flipped through his encyclopedia, but I already knew what Koro Pokkuru were. They were tiny spirits that lived under coltsfoot leaves, and they were deeply rooted in the Ainu culture.

"They lived together with us and we lived in harmony with nature," HoroHoro explained. "They taught us how to live with nature. Humans must live in balance with nature. That's what we were taught. But," he added, throwing out his arm to indicate the city. "Is this balanced? This city of steel? Nature is rapidly vanishing, and the Koro Pokkuru are losing their homes."

HoroHoro hit the side of his fist against the railing that kept people from falling off the cliff. "I think that something has to be done about this. I know humans have their own conditions, but I can't just sit by and watch nature and the Koro Pokkuru be destroyed!"

I smiled sadly, remembering the times before urbanization. Back then, it was more likely that you would die of sickness or exposure, and it was hard to live, but everything had been so much cleaner… I had to admit, though, I liked cities and urbanization and the comfort that came with it, but I missed clean air.

"So you came to Tokyo to start an anti-urbanization movement?" Manta asked.

HoroHoro screeched and kicked the spot next to where Manta sat, almost hitting me. "My dream isn't that, nor is it to become a comedian!" he declared, straightening up but keeping his foot on the bench. "It's something much bigger!"

"I think you'd make a good comedian," Yoh pointed out.

"Shut up already!" HoroHoro trembled and gave Yoh a punch.

"Listen carefully," HoroHoro warned. He pointed his finger into the air. "My dream is to create a vast land filled with coltsfoot!"

Yoh and Manta were silent, starting at HoroHoro as if he was a madman. I had to admit that this was a…unique dream, but I didn't do anything.

"…Tiny…" said Manta.

HoroHoro was suddenly in our faces, tears of frustration streaming down his face. "It's not tiny! It's for nature! For the Koro Pokkuru!"

Suddenly, HoroHoro was sitting on the ground, facing away from us. "It took one minute and forty seconds to explain to these guys…" he murmured despairingly.

Yoh and I put a reassuring hand on his shoulders at the same time, but I wasn't crying like either of them.

"HoroHoro, what a nice guy you are…" Yoh cried, tears streaming down his face.

I heard Manta fall. "But even if you come to Tokyo, that's something you won't be able to do. I think…"

HoroHoro tensed, beads of sweat forming all over him. "Well…um… that's… I doubt you'd understand even if I told you."

()()()()()()()()

The next day was again bright and sunny. Almost perfect, even.

"Ten more minutes," Anna commanded Yoh, who was sitting in the invisible chair.

"That long?" Yoh complained.

I sat on the walkway, my feet brushing the ground as I watched Yoh. I'd already cleaned the bathrooms (needless to say, this was an exhausting feat if you got in there after HoroHoro, it smelled so bad), and tidied up the kitchen. For some reason (probably just to infuriate the boys), Anna didn't have me do anything else. Not that I was complaining.

I should've been out in the city, but I wanted to stick around and see what HoroHoro was being made to do.

Anna was giving him commands left and right; I'd see HoroHoro pass by in the house with towels, then go back past with a mop and bucket, and then would run across the walkway with a towel, scrubbing the boards.

"Faster!" Anna commanded; HoroHoro zoomed past me, nearly crashing into me the first time, and _actually _crashing into me the second time.

He screamed, and I let out a soundless gasp as we fell off the walkway and I landed on my stomach, HoroHoro managing to land right on top of me, his chin banging right where the mark on my back was. I tried to scream in pain, but all that came out was a high-pitched breath that wasn't very loud.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" HoroHoro cried, jumping up. "Are you okay? I'm sorry!"

I struggled to my hands and knees, blinking back tears as I gasped for breath. If anything spiritual pressed against my mark, it meant instant pain, but thankfully not lasting pain. Still, it took me a moment to get my breath back, and I felt sore everywhere.

HoroHoro touched my shoulder. "Are you okay?" he repeated, eyes wide when I looked at him.

I tried to give him a reassuring smile, but I knew it was weak. I sat back on my legs, holding my hands out to show him that I was fine. Last night I taught him a bit of sign language, but it was obvious that he wasn't as quick a learner as Yoh.

"I'm a bit thirsty!" Anna called. "And my shoulder's aching! What's taking so long?"

HoroHoro gave me another concerned look, but I shooed him away with my hands. Anna would hurt him far worse than I felt right now. He gave me another hesitant look before hurrying off to do Anna's bidding.

"You okay?" Manta called.

'_I'm fine,' _I signed back.

When HoroHoro passed in front of the open door again, Manta called out to him. "HoroHoro, do you need help?"

"I'm staying for free! This…"

Anna interrupted him. "Yes. It is to be expected. You just need to watch Yoh so that he doesn't neglect his training."

As soon as Anna said this, Yoh fell to his knees. Anna suddenly punched him, causing him to fall on his face. "I'm adding five more hours of training."

HoroHoro suddenly let out a breath as he took a drink of tea. Anna grabbed Manta's head and used him as a throwing tool, causing Manta and HoroHoro's heads to bang together painfully, and they both fell to the ground. "Don't make yourself so at home! Get up everyone, we have a ton of things to do!"

We all groaned.

()()()()()()()

When Anna finally let us rest (I had been recruited to help around as well; so much for me thinking that Anna might have a sexist attitude to work in my favor), we all were splayed out across the walkway.

"Jeez, you guys are sure weak," Anna noted, her arms folded. "Tomorrow, Yoh, your training will be increased by fifty percent."

"…She's a demon…"

"What did you say, Manta?"

"U-um, n-n-nothing!"

A moment later, he yowled in pain.

()()()()()()()

That night, HoroHoro was washing the dishes while Anna made us all sit around the table, not letting us help.

"It's dangerous for him to do so much," Ryu pointed out.

"What's wrong, Anna?" Yoh asked. "Why are you being so harsh on HoroHoro? It's not normal."

"Yeah, he came out to Tokyo-"

Anna interrupted Manta. "Don't tell me you believe all that he said."

"What do you mean, Madam?" Ryu asked.

"He's a shaman," Anna pointed out.

Ryu and Manta tensed, but me and Yoh just waited for Anna to continue.

"There are two reasons why a shaman would be in Tokyo at this time. To enter the Shaman Fight in Tokyo, or perhaps…to destroy contestants."

There was sort of a third, but I kept quiet.

"T-then HoroHoro came to destroy Yoh-kun?" Manta asked.

"He could have come to destroy Tori-chan," Ryu added. "Both of them, even!"

Oh, please. HoroHoro, destroy someone? I couldn't see it. If HoroHoro had deadly intentions toward Yoh or me, I'd have sensed it the moment I met him. How could-

I stiffened, feeling the now-familiar presence of kyonshii in the area. What were they doing here?

Yoh noticed my actions and frowned, but I ignored him.

"That son of a…" Ryu trailed off as he jumped up and hurried into the kitchen.

"I knew he was a shaman," Yoh admitted, relaxed again. "You knew too, right Tori?"

I nodded, my senses still on the alert for the kyonshii. Nix appeared on my shoulder, pricking his talons into my skin.

Amidamaru appeared as well. "I felt it, too. HoroHoro is definitely a shaman with his own main spirit. Unfortunately, I couldn't confirm the main spirit's form."

"Even still," Yoh pointed out, "He's a good guy."

"You sure are one unsalvageable easygoing person," Anna sighed.

"M-master!" Ryu called, running back into the room. "He's not here!"

I was caught off-guard. I'd been so focused on keeping alert for the kyonshii that I didn't notice HoroHoro's shamanic energy leaving.

"He's outside!" Amidamaru said.

()()()()()()()()

We all ran after HoroHoro to a clearing in a park to see that he was surrounded by kyonshii. To my surprise, HoroHoro was standing on his snowboard, which was levitating above the ground with oversoul. Already, he was one-step above Yoh.

"That's the kyonshii of the Tao family!" Manta exclaimed.

"I knew it," Anna muttered.

Ryu gripped his wooden sword. "That little… so he was lying!"

I looked at them in disbelief. Did it _not _look like HoroHoro was being surrounded like prey before being attacked?

Ryu suddenly flew off towards HoroHoro, screaming like a banshee and clutching his sword; HoroHoro turned, but before Ryu could even get close to him, a kyonshii turned and sent Ryu flying backwards. The kyonshii was about to stab Ryu with its claw attachments, but HoroHoro suddenly intercepted the attack with his snowboard, shielding Ryu.

"These guys are my opponents!" HoroHoro insisted. "Stay back!"

After a moment, Yoh grinned. "Let's go, Amidamaru!"

I couldn't find a good enough reason to 'stay back,' and also merged with Nix, whom I could tell wasn't too happy about me wanting to help.

HoroHoro looked at us as if he couldn't believe his eyes. Suddenly, a trio of kyonshii jumped at him, and before he could attack, Yoh slashed at the corpses and they fell backwards.

"You're shamans?" HoroHoro asked in disbelief; somehow, in the fray, he had fallen onto his bottom.

"What? You didn't notice?" Yoh asked.

Deciding to have a little fun at the expense of my throat, I walked forward - luckily, Nix agreed to have a little torture time. "You're so oblivious, HoroHoro."

HoroHoro looked down. "I guess I- _Hey!_" He looked at me in shock. "W-what? I thought you couldn't speak!"

I laughed; it felt both good and bad to laugh with a voice. "I can't unless I'm united with my spirit, Nix," I explained. "It hurts to do it though, so don't expect me to speak much."

He glared. "Nice surprise, then," he muttered. He turned to his spirit who was on the ground. "This is my main spirit, Kororo. You okay, Kororo?"

The spirit let out a little cry of assent, and I was struck by how cute she was. She was so tiny and adorable, I just wanted to hug her there and then, but not really wasn't the time. "She's cute," I complimented, almost cooing.

"Isn't she?" HoroHoro asked, waving his hand.

"She's cute but…they're coming." Yoh pointed, and HoroHoro turned around and screamed, jumping into the air just a moment before the kyonshii's fist hit the ground right where he had been a second before.

"Let's go!" HoroHoro cried, jumping into the air again and putting Kororo into his snowboard to create oversoul. He flew around on it, and struck a few of the kyonshii back.

I entered the fray as well, extending my staff. A kyonshii flew at me, and I expertly slashed at it, slicing its talisman so that it turned into dust. How easy.

Suddenly, I was blindsided and thrown forwards. I tucked myself into a ball and rolled forward to cushion the blow; when I was on my knees, I turned around to see that HoroHoro was in the air, along with a number of icicles, which he sent at the kyonshii - and also at me.

I just barely managed to dodge one. I had to admit, for this early in the Tournament (well, it hadn't started yet, but still), HoroHoro was powerful. I still wasn't happy that I almost was hit in the crossfire, though. Especially since, when I turned around, I saw that the kyonshii were now trapped in a giant iceberg.

I stalked straight up to HoroHoro and flicked him in the head, much to his surprise. "BoroBoro! You almost hit me!"

"Sorr- Hey! Don't call me that!" he shot back.

I rolled my eyes and allowed Nix to exit my body; the phoenix perched on my shoulder. As everyone gathered together, I gave HoroHoro a smile to show him that there were no hard feelings.

"Sorry that you got involved," HoroHoro apologized. "They're probably the ones that stole my stuff."

Besides HoroHoro, everyone's jaws dropped. These kyonshii weren't after HoroHoro's _stuff, _they were after Yoh! And maybe myself, but more likely Yoh.

HoroHoro kept talking as if he couldn't see our faces. "You must've heard rumors about it, too. Shaman Fight in Tokyo."

I wanted to flick HoroHoro in the head again and tell him _Well, duh!_ but I kept myself from moving.

"I wanted to enter," HoroHoro continued, "But someone stole my stuff to try and prevent me. I saw those guys while I was looking for suspicious people. I watched those guys around your house without eating or drinking for several days and…" He trailed off before continuing strongly. "I don't know who those guys are, trying to steal my stuff. I can't let my guard down."

"Actually, those guys are the henchmen of the Tao family that have been after me for a while," Yoh corrected, still stunned at HoroHoro's belief. We nodded in unison at HoroHoro.

HoroHoro was frozen.

"I don't think they have anything to do with you, HoroHoro," Manta finished. We nodded again.

HoroHoro dropped his snowboard.

Anna pointed her finger. "In other words, you're the one that got involved." Again, a nod.

HoroHoro fell over. "Then what happened to my stuff?"

()()()()()()()()

HoroHoro clutched his belongings as we stood on the front steps of the police station.

"They removed your stuff saying that it blocked traffic," Anna explained coldly.

"Well…um…things happen," HoroHoro stammered. He laughed nervously and started walking off before stopping and turning around. "Yoh, Tori."

"Hm?" Yoh asked as we both looked at the Ainu.

HoroHoro turned around and gave us a thumbs-up. "Let's meet in the Shaman Fights."

Though I didn't have any chance whatsoever of facing HoroHoro in a Shaman Fight, I smiled and nodded along with Yoh.

We watched HoroHoro walk into the distance, and my smile stayed. HoroHoro was a bit thickheaded, but he was genuinely a good guy. His dream wasn't the most… beneficial to the human race, but it would do at least some good in the world if he were to become the Shaman King. I wished him luck.

He'd probably need it.

()()()()()()()()()

"Whaaaaa?" I wanted to say this along with the others as we stepped into the main room to see HoroHoro gulping down a slice of watermelon, looking perfectly at home and fresh in a yukata after a bath in the onsen.

"You guys are late," he observed.

Everyone besides Anna and I fell down. "What are you doing here?" Anna asked, sounding hostile…

HoroHoro scratched the back of his head. "Well, when I realized that I had no place to go, I thought I might stay here for another two or three days. Oh! The water is nice so you guys should hurry in as well," he added, jerking his thumb towards the general direction of the onsen.

Anna's eyes flashed, and she grabbed Manta's head and threw him at HoroHoro.

* * *

_Note: It'd be really helpful for those who review (before chap 10 is published) to summarize what you know about Tori so far; it's hard to keep up with everything. Thanks!_


	10. Tokagero

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King.**

_As a one month story anniversary present, today is a double update; the drawback is that the word count would be about one chapter instead of two. I wanted to get these two eps out of the way XD This chapter is filler :P_

Normal text and "speaking," _thought, 'signing and mouthing,' **'telepathy.'**_

_Enjoy!_

**Ten: Tokagero**

"We're back!" Yoh and Manta called wearily into the house; I'd just gotten back a minute ago as well, and was slipping off my shoes.

"You're late!" Anna was giving them one of her most deadly glares; thankfully, from where she was, she was looking just over my head and I felt excluded.

Yoh and Manta were stunned. "Late? We're back at the same time we usually are."

"I'm hungry!" Anna complained irritably.

Yoh was confused. "Then just ask Ryu to…"

Anna spoke over him. "He's not here yet."

There was silence as we looked at her.

()()()()()()()()

Anna put her chopsticks on the table. "It tastes bad. "

I had to agree with her there. We were all used to Ryu's cooking, and reverting to Manta's cooking was not…pleasant.

"I can't eat it," Anna continued. "Remake it."

This was a little harsh, but it was also Anna. I stayed quiet and ate my share; that way, Manta would have less to cook.

"But I already made it ten times tonight!" Manta exclaimed.

Anna laid down away from the table, effectively showing her rejection to the meal. "Speed, sense, and good ingredients are needed for cooking. You don't have any of those."

"Ingredients?" Manta repeated.

"But we don't have any more," Yoh pointed out.

"Go buy them if we ran out," Anna said simply.

()()()()()()()()

"Shopping at this time," Manta muttered, slouching as we walked. "Anna-san is so cruel."

"She's been spoiled by Ryu's cooking," Yoh noted, his arms behind his head, obviously much more at ease than Manta. As usual.

"Bokotou no Ryu is really good at cooking," Manta added. He groaned. "Why did he suddenly stop coming?"

They suddenly stopped, their eyes catching something, and I gave them a look of confusion.

"The bowling alley is supposed to be closed," Manta explained, puzzled.

I looked at the building they were staring at and saw that the lights were, indeed, on. Faint sounds of people came, and I cocked my head. Was that Ryu I just heard…?

I cast my senses out as we walked to the alley, wondering if, in fact, it was Ryu and his friends. I frowned, sensing an ill-tempered spirit; we'd have to watch to stay out of its way. Angered spirits could be dangerous.

"Oh, so it was you guys," Yoh said as we entered the bowling alley; Ryu's friends all looked at us and greeted us warmly, breaking away from their game. I remembered when I first saw them beating up Manta; they'd come a long way. All of us had.

"Where's Bokotou no Ryu?" Manta asked cheerfully.

One of them - Ball Boy, I think they called him (which is _such _a weird name) - looked around in confusion. "Ryu-san was just here…"

With Ryu missing, all games ceased as his friends looked around in puzzlement, wondering where their leader had gone. They wandered off through the bowling alley, calling out his name.

'…**.**_**Sss…'**_

"Hm?" Manta turned around toward one of the broken widows and walked over to it; I stuck close to him, sensing the spirit from before.

"It's a lizard…" Manta noted, looking at the green reptile with red eyes. He made to grab it, but it hurried away along the wall outside.

Yoh walked up to us. "What's wrong?"

"Yoh-kun." Manta paused. "Doesn't it feel strange here?"

I nodded at Manta's words; looking at Yoh, I signed, _'There's an uneasy spirit here.'_

Amidamaru appeared behind Yoh. "You can feel it too?" he asked.

"It's a grudge," Yoh explained quietly.

"Grudge?" Manta asked, surprised.

"I don't know who it is…" Yoh continued. "But there's something lurking around that wants vengeance."

There was silence as Manta took in Yoh's words, trembling a little with anxiety.

As we walked toward the exit, Yoh kept talking. "It looks like the reason this place was closed wasn't just because of the location." When we got to the door, Yoh looked toward Ryu's friends. "When you find Ryu, tell him to leave immediately."

"What do you mean?" the one called Muscle Punch asked.

"How should I put it…?" Yoh hesitated, thinking. "People shouldn't be here."

There was a moment of silence, and then Ball Boy suddenly screamed, causing me to jump slightly.

"Don't scream like that!" another chastised him, his heart obviously pounding.

"My grandma told me a story," Ball Boy said, holding up a finger. "This land is cursed. New stores always close."

"Well, that's pretty much it," Yoh agreed. He opened the door, and Manta and I followed him outside.

Outside, I let out a breath that I hadn't known I'd been holding. I'd definitely been unnerved by that lizard-spirit, but I hadn't known that there was such a pressure inside the building on me.

We stopped and looked back at the alley; Amidamaru appeared again. "Yoh-dono."

"I'll talk to Anna," Yoh replied. "She's an expert on evil spirits."

"You're right," Manta agreed. "It isn't good having this in our neighborhood." He startled walking away, but neither I nor Yoh followed him. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing our reluctance.

"Aren't we forgetting something?" Yoh asked.

"I believe we came out here to get ingredients for dinner," Amidamaru reminded.

At the thought of keeping Anna waiting, we all freaked out a little bit. "That's right!"

"I hope the store's still open!" Manta cried as we sped off into the night.

()()()()()()()()()

"See you tomorrow Yoh-kun, Tori-kun!" Manta called as he began his walk back to his house.

"Be careful!" Yoh warned, sliding the door shut.

Inside the house, Yoh turned to me. "I hope Ryu and his friends got out of there okay," he said, frowning slightly.

'_Once Ryu knows that you said they should leave, he'll leave,' _I assured him.

Yoh sighed. "But still, he didn't come here today. That's not like him."

"Yoh! Tori!" Anna called. "Do the dishes. If we're going to check out the bowling alley tomorrow, I need to do some research."

Yoh and I both stiffened, remembering the piles of dishes in the sink; it'd be only the two of us tackling them, as HoroHoro had decided to go out training for a couple of days.

Yoh was all too reluctant, but I pulled him into the kitchen. The sooner we got this done, the better.

When we were finally done, we went into the main room. "Find anything out?" Yoh asked.

Anna flipped another page. "Looks like that area was a hideout for thieves," she noted.

"Thieves?"

"If it could be stolen, they stole everything from food to lives," Anna explained. "It was a cruel, merciless group of thieves. The name of their leader was Tokagero."

()()()()()()()()

I stiffened, as well as Nix. _**'Did you feel that?' **_he asked me.

'_**Manta!'**_

I ran out of my room, nearly bumping into Anna. The itako gave me a knowing look, and we went downstairs together to where we could hear Yoh's and Amidamaru's voices; the bathroom.

"Someone with spiritual energy has bonded nearby," Anna explained quietly when we were just outside; she leaned against the wall where she could see Yoh, but I was behind the corner, _definitely_ not wanting to see anything. "In other words, it's a message from the stars. Japanese call it a 'notice from the insects.'" She was silent for a heartbeat. "I felt it too."

"What was it, Anna-dono?" Amidamaru yelled.

"Forget it!" Yoh yelled, panicky. "Get away from here!"

()()()()()()()

Quickly, we got dressed into our regular clothes instead of our yukatas.

"Let's hurry!" Yoh exclaimed, rushing out of his room. "I'm worried about Manta."

That made at least two of us.

"Anna-dono, do you know where Manta-dono is?" Amidamaru asked.

I bit back a frown. I could find Manta faster, but then I might have to reveal-

Oh, what the _hell. _This was Manta, we had to find him! Before Anna could respond, I touched Yoh's arm to get his attention and was about to sign that I could search for his spiritual energy when there was a shout from outside.

"No need to look for him!"

Instantly recognizing the voice but not the tone, we looked out the window to see Ryu out on the front walkway, a trussed-up Manta under his arm and a cloth-wrapped object in his other hand. His friends were behind him, a few holding torches, all of them looking nervous.

"I've come," Ryu said, and I could sense the voice that was just behind his own.

"Manta!" Yoh and I rushed down the stairs and out of the house.

"Stop!" Ryu commanded, and we did. "Don't come any closer. Try something stupid and your house will be burned down."

"R-Ryu-san, let's stop already," one of his friends pleaded timidly.

"You want to burn this place down after what you did already?" another asked.

Ryu chuckled, the light in his eyes insane. "It's none of my concern. I only have one goal…"

He narrowed his eyes, and when Amidamaru appeared questioningly beside Yoh, they widened. "Amidamaru! It is to get revenge on you!"

"Ryu, how can you see Amidamaru?" Yoh asked, his face etched in determined concern.

"It means that he has a spiritual sense," Anna explained; she walked in front of us, her arms crossed as she glared at Ryu out of the corner of her eye. "He's being possessed by something."

Ryu chuckled evilly again.

"Why don't you show your ugly face already?" Anna asked dangerously.

"Hey, hey," Ryu laughed. "Watch your words, missy. Who do you think I am?"

There was a pause, and Ryu bowed his head slightly. A dark, billowing cloud appeared behind him, forming into the shape of green-skinned man with a long face and hair that fanned out like tentacles from the top of his head.

"I am the great thief, Tokagero!" He smiled dangerously. "I'll have my revenge from six hundred years ago!"


	11. Harusame

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King.**

_sorry if any of the format is off; FFnet screwed up again. Not much to say; I can't wait till Silva appears in chapter 13 I think._

**Eleven: Harusame**

"Tokagero?" one of Ryu's friends repeated. "What are you saying, Ryu-san?"

Anna smirked. "What a stupid name."

"What did you say?" Ryu/Tokagero asked, his grip on Manta tightening and causing him to squirm, his muffled voice panicked.

"Manta!" Yoh called.

"Tokagero," Anna began. "You led the group of thieves who wreaked havoc here six hundred years ago."

Ryu grinned, his shoulders moving with his chuckles. "So you knew?" he asked, Tokagero's form leering at us from over Ryu's head. "Then you should know why I came." Ryu pointed the cloth-wrapped object. "Amidamaru! It's to kill you with this sword!"

Amidamaru and Yoh gaped, while I narrowed my eyes.

"It's probably just a wooden sword," Anna scoffed calmly.

Ryu lowered his hand, sniggering. "Unfortunately, this is a real sword. It's not a very good sword though."

Manta suddenly started writhing, struggling to speak against the tape over his mouth. Just the sight started to make my blood boil.

"All of this," Ryu and Tokagero continued, pointing the still veiled weapon, "is to get my revenge, Amidamaru, for killing me six hundred years ago!"

Amidamaru was silent for a moment. "Who are you?"

Ryu fell over, then jumped back up; if the situation wasn't so serious, it might have been comical. "Wait a minute!" he cried. "Don't tell me you forgot! I'm the great thief, Lord Tokagero!"

"Is that true, Amidamaru?" Yoh asked curiously.

"How can I remember? I've killed so many people," Amidamaru pointed out. "I can't remember them all."

If Amidamaru hadn't been a samurai, I might've found it sad that he couldn't remember the names of the people he'd killed.

Anna was smirking. "I'm guessing that you're weak," she said to Tokagero.

"What?" he asked.

"How are you going to kill Amidamaru's spirit?" Anna asked.

Ryu and Tokagero smiled. "Simple." He pointed again. "I'm going to kill him when he merges with that kid over there."

Yoh hit his palm with his fist. "I see."

"This isn't the time to be agreeing with him, Yoh-dono!" Amidamaru chastised disbelievingly.

"Hurry up and merge, damn it!" Ryu swore. He nudged Manta's cheek with the end of the cloth-covered weapon. "Don't you care about him?"

"It doesn't matter, really," Anna said flatly.

We all looked at her, aghast. Manta started flailing wildly, but he couldn't get out of Ryu's grip.

"Yoh is the man who will become the Shaman King," Anna explained like she was talking to a misbehaving child. "I can't let him be killed by the likes of you."

"The likes of me?" Ryu repeated. "Who do you think you are?"

"I am the one who will become the wife of the Shaman King," Anna said determinedly.

"Anna…" Yoh sounded stunned.

"I see, I see." Ryu dropped Manta to the ground like one would a mistreated doll. "Then let me get rid of him for you!" He undid the tie of the cloth, and Yoh ran forward and merged with Amidamaru; Anna threw Yoh a wooden sword, and he jumped into the air.

Manta squirmed, and somehow the tape covering his mouth came off. "That sword is Harusame!" he screeched.

"Haru…" Yoh began.

"…same?" Amidamaru finished.

Yoh's wooden sword and Ryu's sheathed weapon met; after a moment, the sheath cracked and fell off, revealing a strong katana.

"This is Harusame!" Amidamaru exclaimed as he and Yoh struggled against Tokagero and Ryu.

"That's right." Ryu was smirking. "This is Harusame. The sword you used to kill me. I won't be satisfied with just killing you. I have to make you suffer."

"You…just for that…" Amidamaru seemed almost speechless in anger.

"That's right, I stole it," Tokagero continued. "A samurai getting killed by his own sword… I get excited just thinking about it."

"Just for that, you stole Harusame?" Amidamaru asked, outraged.

"Besides, there aren't many masterpieces like this," Tokagero persisted. "I didn't even budge after taking your attack."

"Harusame isn't just a masterpiece," Amidamaru declared; if a spirit could be, he sounded almost breathless. "Harusame is… Harusame is…"

"Amidamaru?" Yoh tried to get his spirit back on track.

Noticing the split-second distraction, Ryu brought back his arm and slashed with Harusame, sending Yoh flying backwards, his trademark orange headphones falling off and breaking.

"Yoh-kun!" Manta screamed.

My mouth was agape. Even if I was merged with Nix, I didn't think I could scream if I wanted to.

"Ryu-san killed him!" someone yelled from Ryu's group.

Yoh fell headfirst towards the ground, but he caught himself with his hands and pushed, getting to his feet. There was a slight slash in his shirt, but no visible wounds on him.

"It's impressive how you were able to dodge from the position," Ryu said. "That's Amidamaru's, all right. Well then," he went on, "we're back to where we started." He lowered Harusame and pointed it at Manta's neck. "Hurry up and let me kill you, Amidamaru, or I can't be held responsible for what's going to happen to him."

"Damn you," Amidamaru hissed.

"Manta!" Yoh called.

I stared, speechless. Slowly, as not to attract attention, I pulled Nix into my body and merged with him.

"There are three ways to save Manta," Anna stated. Her posture suggested that she didn't really care what was happening. "First, as Tokagero wants, you let him kill you." Out of the question. "Or damage the body he has possessed until it can't move. If he is immobilized, he will leave Ryu's body and Manta will be saved. On the other hand, Ryu might die." Yoh would never do that to Ryu. "And the last option… Break his weapon, Harusame."

Was I included anywhere in this? I didn't have my extendable staff with me, but I could at least help _somehow_… I made to take a step forward, but Anna suddenly glared at me. In that instant, I knew that she wouldn't let me help until the situation was at its worst possible point; someone becoming mortally wounded or dead. This was Yoh's fight, not mine.

I'd have to start thinking that way once the Tournament started.

"Harusame?" Amidamaru asked in disbelief.

"He will lose his only means of attack and we can easily save Manta," Anna explained.

"But Harusame is…" Amidamaru trailed off, as if losing himself in thought. "You're telling me to _break _Harusame?"

"In your current state," Anna continued, "the last option is impossible. Harusame is a masterpiece that can cut through stone. In order to break it, a full-force attack must be exerted on it. If there is even a little bit of uncertainty in your heart, your attack will be easily repelled. And you'll be definitely hit by a counterattack."

"Now." Tokagero brought the attention back to himself and Ryu. "Hurry up and decide. Either you die, or he dies." He put the sword in front of Manta's nose. "I'm counting to three. One… Two…"

"Manta!" Yoh called.

I couldn't stand it anymore. Just as Ryu called 'three' and lifted his sword, I dashed forward, only to find that Ryu's friends had also hurried forward to restrain Ryu. I grasped Manta and jumped away back towards the house, breathing out a sigh of relief that Manta was safe.

"What the?" Manta cried, looking at men who held Ryu still.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Ryu shook them off, and they fell to the ground.

"Ryu's friends are fighting him!" Manta exclaimed. "They shouldn't be able to see Tokagero, but…"

"We couldn't stand it anymore." Our attention was caught by Muscle Punch, who was being helped into the yard by Ball Boy. By the looks of it, he had been hurt in the leg. "The fact that our Ryu-san is acting like trash."

At the sounds of greetings from his friends, Muscle Punch went on. "Hey, sorry to make you guys worry. You okay, Manta?"

By now I was untying him. He let out a sort of grunt of assent.

Muscle Punch hung his head. "We too, understand. That the Ryu-san right now isn't normal."

_That's an understatement_, I thought as Ryu turned around to face him. "You know what will happen if you disobey me, right? I'll kill you!"

"Enough already, Ryu-san!" one of his friends called. "What could possibly make you want to kill someone?"

"It's true that you were violent and hated by people," another added, "but you were kind to us."

"Have you forgotten about the beginning of junior high?" someone else continued. "You talked to me, even though I was new!"

"On the night of the festival, you helped me when I was surrounded by yakuzas!"

"That's right! When I ran away, Ryu-san gave me a cooked sweet potato by the riverbank road!"

"On that cold night, you treated me to meat buns! I can't forget it!"

"Ryu-san's voice when he said that he would find the Best Place for us in society!" Muscle Punch added.

"Ryu-san!" they all chorused. "We're friends, right?"

This kind of intervention might have worked if Ryu wasn't possessed. I could see that right away as Tokagero raised Ryu's head. "Friends?" he asked. He repeated the word over and over. "That word makes me sick!" He began slashing at Ryu's group, though he was too far away to do any damage.

"Stop it, Tokagero!" Amidamaru commanded. "You don't have a hostage anymore. Stop your useless resistance!"

Tokagero chuckled, turning around. "You're right. Then how about this?" Suddenly, he pointed Harusame at Ryu's chest. "If you move, I'll kill him!"

"He took Ryu as his hostage!" Manta cried.

"He's your friend, right?" Tokagero asked, using Ryu to speak. "Is it right to abandon your friend?"

Yoh and Amidamaru tensed. Personally, I would have been sad if Ryu was killed, but I could get over it… I didn't know if the others could, though.

"If you value his life," Ryu continued, "put down your weapon and walk over here."

Yoh did nothing.

"Didn't you hear me?" Ryu asked. "I told you to put down your weapon!"

Because of Nix's keen hearing, I could make out Yoh's whisper from where I knelt next to Manta. "Are you sure about this, Amidamaru?"

"I have no more doubts," Amidamaru vowed.

Yoh's eyes narrowed.

"You…you don't care about your friend?" Ryu asked.

Yoh and Amidamaru spoke at the same time, their voices overlapping. "Bokotou no Ryu has taught me… how important friends are. And he's reminded me that in order to save friends, there are times when one must make sacrifices."

Yoh suddenly took a ready stance, and Ryu's eyes widened.

"_Shinkuu… Buttagiri!" _Yoh and Amidamaru slashed out, and Harusame broke in Ryu's hands before sending him flying into the air and landing on his back.

Ryu looked at where half of Harusame's blade was impaled into the ground. "Impossible! Harusame is broken?" He sat up to look at Yoh and Amidamaru. "Impossible! This can't be! Wasn't Harusame a precious gift from his friend? How could he break it just to save a kid?"

"It's true. Harusame was a precious sword. But that sword was created by Mosuke with his father's knife to save others." In the light of the torches, I saw a slight gleam trickle out of Amidamaru's eye. "That is why I will throw away any object, no matter how important it may be, even if it is Harusame!"

A drizzle started to come down from the clouds, becoming more insistent as it doused the light of the torches. Soon we were becoming soaked, but just as soon as it had sprung up, the rain stopped.

Amidamaru exited Yoh's body, and Yoh spoke. "Your plan has failed. Will you give up and enter the afterlife?"

"Give up…" Ryu repeated. "And enter the afterlife?"

"That's right," Yoh answered.

There was a slight pause. "I can't do that," Ryu answered.

"Tokagero!" Yoh exclaimed.

"The name Tokagero…" Ryu and Tokagero continued. "Was given by my mother to survive no matter what!" They both stood with Ryu's body. "I did many evil things to live. He backed up slowly. "Tricking people. Hurting people. That's why… I can't lose to people who help each other!" He stopped moving. "To those who babble about how important friends are!"

"Tokagero!" Amidamaru called as Ryu suddenly leaned down to pick up the broken half of Harusame on the ground. When his hand was within mere inches of the blade, however, he stopped.

Ryu's body was twitching. "W-what's going on?" He fell down onto the ground, spread-eagled. "My body…has no strength left."

"Two souls in one body puts a lot of stress on it," Anna pointed out calmly. "Because of your forced entry, and the fact that Ryu hasn't gone through proper shaman training. His body couldn't handle it." Anna pulled off her beads. "It's over. Enter the afterli-"

Yoh put his arm out. He looked at Ryu and Tokagero with a look I'd seen before; friendly concern.

Had I said before that Yoh was completely insane?

"Hey," Yoh said. "Do you really want a friend?"

We all looked at him, speechless. Amidamaru said his master's name, but Yoh didn't respond.

Tokagero laughed. "Don't kid me. Are you telling me to help everyone?"

"We aren't helping everyone!" Muscle Punch shouted. "We're helping each other towards a common goal. That's what friends are for. Didn't you say that, Ryu-san?"

"Live no matter what, eh?" Yoh asked, walking slowly up to Ryu's twitching body. "Wasn't there a way to live with your friends?"

Tokagero's expression changed.

"It might be too late, but…" Yoh extended his hand. "I'll be your friend."

Tokagero smiled. "Are you serious?"

Yoh was grinning. "Yeah."

Tokagero huffed in disbelief. "You're all talk."

"Oh, is that so?" Yoh asked. He closed his eyes in thought, then smiled and opened them. "Then how about I lend this body to you?"

"What?" everyone else cried, including me, my throat rasping as I stood up fully. Yoh was serious?

"What do you mean?" Anna asked, angry.

"Are you going to merge with Tokagero?" Manta yelled in incredulity. "If you do that…"

"I might kill you the second I take control of you," Tokagero warned, his mouth turning into a grin.

Yoh paused a second in thought, then beamed. "So be it."

Amidamaru appeared in front of Yoh, his arms spread out protectively. "This isn't right!"

"Amidamaru…" Yoh breathed.

"Why must Yoh-dono become a victim?" Amidamaru asked angrily to Tokagero. "Especially to your kind?"

"Don't worry," Yoh soothed, pulling out his mortuary tablet and sealing Amidamaru inside in a gust of wind. "Now then. Whenever you're ready, Tokagero."

"All right," Tokagero sneered. Ryu's body convulsed as Tokagero prepared to exit it. "As you wish, I'll merge with you!"

He jumped out of Ryu's body and into Yoh's, causing Yoh to fall backwards and drop Amidamaru's tablet.

"Yoh!" Anna called out as we gazed at Yoh's spread-eagled body.

My fist was shaking as I tried to keep control of myself. Worse things would happen to Yoh in the Shaman Fights. If I did anything now, I'd never be able to watch the matches without bias.

Yoh's hand twitched, and he sat up stiffly. His eyes were narrowed crazily, and he was grinning Tokagero's grin as he laughed. I couldn't remember seeing even Hao look like that. "He's such an idiot," Tokagero said through Yoh's mouth.

He stood and walked forward. "Lending me his body just to get killed." He leaned down and picked up the broken half of Harusame, holding it to Yoh's throat. "Where should I start?"

Anna fell to her knees. "It can't be…" she breathed, looking lost. "He really gave his body to Tokagero…"

"Yoh-kun!" Manta called.

I couldn't say anything. Guilt was nearly wracking my body. I had to help Yoh…

"Useless! Useless!" Yoh's body snarled. "I'm in complete control of his body! I can't believe his kindness."

"What was he thinking?" Anna continued. Tears spilled from her eyes. "That idiot…"

"Anna-san." Manta's voice rose in pitch as he saw her cry. He started screaming. "What should I do?"

I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't take this. I had to run forward and snatch that blade from him. I was just about to dart forward when Yoh's hand suddenly lowered from his neck.

"Damn it," Tokagero swore. "I can't believe this…"

A teardrop fell. Tokagero's eyes and nose were streaming with tears and snot. His voice was shaking. "How could he? He knew that he could've been killed. Yet he was still able to do such a kind thing…"

"He believed that you were his friend," Amidamaru explained, finally able to emerge from his tablet.

"Friend?" Tokagero repeated.

"Because he believed that you were his friend," Amidamaru went on, head bowed. "He trusted you and was able to entrust you with his body. While you were alive, you were always worried about survival. You had no time to be at peace. What you really needed was a place of peace. In other words, you needed friends."

"My god…" Tokagero whispered, lowering his head in shame. "That means the second I merged with him… I had already lost!"

"Amazing!" Manta's eyes were wide. "Yoh-kun was able to plan that far?"

"Of course not," Anna and I said at the same time. My voice was far lower than hers, though, so Manta looked at Anna, who was blazing with anger. "He just selfishly thought of it like that. He's even kind when he's about to die! How dare he make a fool of me! Starting tonight I will add the Special Menu of training!"

Tears streamed down Manta's face in fright and he turned away from her.

With that, the threat was gone, and Ryu's friends ran up to him. Yoh sat on the ground and smiled up at Tokagero. "Are you done?"

"Yeah," Tokagero said. He gazed at Ryu and his friends. "Friends aren't bad. Right?"

I couldn't quite agree with him. Friends were bad for my job. Once the Shaman Fights started, I'd have to completely abandon any attachments to the contestants. Aiding the Shaman King was something both he or she and I were supposed to do without bias.

This was going to be hard.


	12. Lago

**DISCLAIMER: Shaman King ain't mine. Obviously.**

_Not much to say; this is kinda an in-betweener. *evil, devilish smile* You won't be bored in the next chapter, my Fuzzeh friend. :P (Then again, you never read the a/n's, do you, FuzzyShadowFox? :PPP)_

_I feel like I could have written this chapter better, but oh well. I'm not even quite sure if the ending is really what I wanted, but whatever. XD *shrugs* On a sort-of side note, anyone do NaNoWriMo? I was thinking about doing it this year; never done it before. Bet it'll be fun :P_

**Twelve: Lago**

I sat in the main room, frowning as I thought of what had happened last night. HoroHoro had come back late last night when I was the only one left up, and I, with my voice too sore to speak, had Nix explain what happened (we'd been teaching HoroHoro sign language, but he was far from fluent). I hadn't slept, but this body seemed to be designed to withstand long periods of tiredness.

Over in the next room, I heard Manta and Yoh speaking, saying something about breakfast. Deciding that helping was better than just sitting around like I'd done all night, I got up and went into the hallway to see Manta hurrying towards the kitchen; I stopped him with a smile and asked, _'Need help?'_

He smiled back. "Yeah, if breakfast isn't ready soon I'm afraid Anna will go ballistic." He noticed the bags under my eyes. "Did you sleep at all?"

I shook my head. _'I couldn't.'_

Manta nodded. "I understand." We started walking towards the kitchen. "But you must've seen something like this before, since you're a shaman too."

Oh, I'd seen plenty of possessions, but none through these eyes. _'I just have a lot on my mind,' _I signed to him truthfully.

"Do you know when Ryu's supposed to wake up?" Manta asked, rifling through the lower cupboards for a skillet. He could tell that I didn't want to talk about what I was thinking of.

I grabbed a carton of eggs from the fridge before handing it to Manta. With my hands free, I signed, _'She said a week.'_

"Hm," Manta said. He pulled a stool up to the oven, and I turned on the stovetop for him as he hopped up. "I wonder what it's like to unite with a spirit."

I smiled, remembering the first time I ever united with Nix, forever ago. At first, it felt like I'd never have breath in me again, but then it felt… like he was always meant to be my spirit. Nix and I rarely got along without a disagreement of some kind, but we were a team, and we always would be. Right now, in this life, he was the only real friend I _could _have. Part of me didn't feel like it was enough, though.

()()()()()()()()

"I'm terribly sorry!" Ryu apologized, bowing so that his forehead touched the ground. It was after breakfast, and we were in the main room. Ryu had woken up quite earlier than Anna had expected.

"They filled me in," Ryu continued, turning his head to indicate his friends. "I've caused so much trouble."

"It's not Ryu-san's fault, right?" Manta pointed out cheerfully.

"Nope," Yoh agreed. "You were possessed by an evil spirit. Don't worry about it."

I nodded in assent of Yoh's words. Ryu wasn't at fault here.

"No!" Ryu insisted. "I was possessed because of my impure heart!" He stood up and his tone lowered. "Since I was born, I've been like a lost child trying to find his home. I've always been alone. Only my friends were kind enough to look after me. A heart with such a void is what called Tokagero to me."

Ryu's fist was shaking. "I know that I can't make up for what I did with just an apology. But… I can't do anything…" He bowed again. "I'm sorry, master! And sorry, Master Amidamaru! You had to break your own katana to save me. I destroyed your headstone. And I'm good for nothing! I cannot repay this debt, even if I spent my entire life!"

"Yeah, but…" Manta began.

Yoh pointed to Amidamaru, and I almost shared their expressions. "You can see him?"

Ryu raised his head. "Very clearly.

There was stunned silence for a moment.

"So that's it," Anna said.

"What's what?" Yoh asked, turning to her.

"Being possessed by Tokagero awakened his powers," Anna explained.

Yoh's eyes were wide and he came closer to Anna in awe. "Powers? That means…"

"Yep. Shamanic ability." Anna said like it didn't matter.

Yoh's jaw dropped, as well as Ryu's friends' and Manta, as well as mine. Ryu's jaw was dropped farther than anyone else's.

"I can't believe it!" Manta cried.

"That's why he recovered so fast," Anna continued. "It's pretty surprising." She didn't sound surprised.

Ryu's friends crowded around him and congratulated him. He didn't seem to hear them.

He suddenly sprang to his feet. "This isn't the time to celebrate!" he screamed. He turned to his now semi-cowering friends. "Master Amidamaru's Harusame is broken. And the blame goes to none other than me."

"It's in the past now," Amidamaru reassured him.

Ryu turned around, his fist clenched. "No. My conscience won't let it go. I, Bokotou no Ryu, will make up for it!"

()()()()()()()()

Before long, the house was almost spotlessly clean. Though it was a thought that was rather shameless, I liked it when Ryu felt he owed something.

I lounged around the house, bored. Yoh and Manta had gone out for Yoh's daily run, but I had declined to go with them, not wanting to do anything too physical today. I could've hung out with HoroHoro (he was good for a laugh), but he was…busy with business in the bathroom. Ryu couldn't be bothered (nor did I really want to bother him), and Anna was watching television as usual.

Finding nothing else to do, I thought. I'd gone through the Shaman Fights before with unbiased opinion, but this time around it was obviously going to be different, and I didn't know if I could really make it this time. I had to be totally willing to help the Shaman King when the time came, and if I wasn't, well… I didn't know what would happen, because I'd always been totally willing. I thought about Tao Ren becoming the Shaman King and shuddered. Lately, when I thought about who might become the Shaman King, he'd been popping up more often than Hao in my nightmares.

Would I be feeling so afraid of him if I had stayed alone instead of becoming Yoh's friend? _Probably not_, I admitted begrudgingly to myself. I fingered the tassel that I kept in my pocket.

I sighed. I hated feeling like this. I needed something to take my mind off of this.

()()()()()()()()

When Yoh and Manta were finally back, I joined them gratefully.

"The spirits have disappeared," Anna said as she leaned against the doorframe leading to the front walk.

"Yeah. I haven't felt their presence since last night," Yoh agreed. "Have you, Tori?"

I blinked and shook my head. I had been so lost in thought that I hadn't noticed that the spirits had left. I should've noticed earlier.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen them either," Manta added.

"The recent activities were probably too strong for the weak spirits," HoroHoro said, suddenly appearing, leaning against the outside wall. I looked at him curiously, noting that everyone was looking in a different direction. Suddenly, I felt their presence as well; I must've been really lost in thought if I hadn't noticed the Stars were nearly here!

"So you came," Anna said without much care.

"Not because of that. I just wandered here," HoroHoro admitted, still serious.

"Huh?" Manta asked. He jumped in front of us and waved his hands for attention, but now that I'd noticed the Stars' presence, I felt drawn to them and not him. "What is it?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"

We all ignored him and looked up into the sky.

I cast my senses out, wanting to feel the Stars more. Their calling was-

I didn't show any emotion as I sensed Mikihisa nearby. He must be here to check up on his son…

()()()()()()()()

That night, I was walking past the onsen towards the kitchen when I heard footsteps up ahead, and a lot of them; Ryu's friends must be coming to check up on him. I heard them whispering, and I wondered what they were trying to do. Then I heard HoroHoro's voice; what were they doing…?

I turned the corner, and the first thought that went through my mind was _What ugly, poor girls…_

Then I realized who they were, and for a moment I didn't know whether to run away or laugh. In the end, I doubled over and leaned against the wall, soundless gasps of laughter escaping me. They just looked so… so freakish! What were they all trying to do, enter a drag queen contest?

Immediately, Ryu's friends started bickering amongst each other, sounding embarrassed. HoroHoro (in a brunette wig, I had seen) stomped his foot and said that they were doing this for Ryu.

I couldn't make out what they were saying, because I was couldn't hear anything over my own breath. They were so weird looking…

HoroHoro snapped his fingers in my face suddenly. "Thank you, Tori, but you can go now."

I managed to catch my breath and looked up into his face only to notice that he was wearing purple eyeliner and almost burst out laughing again. _'Good luck,' _I signed, walking past them and trying not to laugh at their bickering and self-conscious faces.

When I was around the other corner, I burst out in another fit of soundless laughter.

Only a minute later, Manta found me. He looked at me in confusion. "What's up?" he asked.

I shook my head. _'I shouldn't say.' _My hands were shaking slightly with my amusement. _'You probably wouldn't want to know anyway.'_

Manta raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

()()()()()()()()

"Hey, think we can do it now?" Yoh asked Anna as we stood outside the entrance to the onsen later that day.

"Yes," Anna answered.

"Huh?" Manta asked. I had to share his confusion as we headed outside.

()()()()()()()()

In the front yard, Ryu and his friends stood in a loose semicircle around Anna, who had out her itako beads. I, Manta, Yoh, and Amidamaru stood off to the side a little bit.

"Call Mosuke?" Amidamaru asked Yoh in astonishment.

Yoh nodded. "Yup."

"That's right!" Manta exclaimed. "Anna-san can summon spirits that have already gone to the afterlife! Harusame can be repaired!"

I found myself smiling. Mosuke could certainly fix Harusame, and then no one would have to be sad anymore; I had seen Amidamaru moping around a little bit earlier.

Ryu was taken aback. "Is this true, Mistress Anna?"

"Well, it depends on you," she answered.

"Huh?"

"I'm going to put Mosuke's spirit in you," she continued. "Well, with that much energy, you shouldn't have any problems."

"But why not Yoh-kun or Tori-kun?" Manta asked.

Anna looked back. "I have a different job for Yoh. Tori's the odd one out."

I nodded, fine with the situation. It wasn't like Anna let me do much else in these spiritual matters, anyways.

"You can finally see Mosuke," Yoh said to Amidamaru.

"I-I only care about Harusame getting repaired," Amidamaru stuttered. Liar.

"What? Are you embarrassed?" Yoh asked, amused and smiling.

"Why would I be embarrassed?" Amidamaru shot back, defensive. He seemed to deflate a little. "I just don't know what to talk about."

"You don't need to talk about anything," Yoh assured him. "That's why we're going to put Mosuke in Ryu."

Amidamaru and I both blinked and looked at Yoh for a moment before we looked to Anna, who held up her itako beads. "Let's start," she declared.

"Okay," Ryu agreed, taking a ready stance. "If Harusame can be repaired, it doesn't matter what happens to my body. Please use it freely." "I would have anyways," Anna said carelessly.

Ryu suddenly looked nervous.

Anna began her chant, her beads glowing. When she opened her eyes, they also glowed. I was in awe; I'd never seen such a powerful itako so young.

Anna held out her beads in both hands, and a spirit began to form behind her as Yoh merged with Amidamaru. Anna jumped into the air and guided the spirit into Ryu's body with a shout, and I watched the unfolding scene with undivided attention.

"Amidamaru…" Mosuke spoke through Ryu.

"That voice…" Amidamaru choked out.

Ryu straightened up, and Mosuke's face appeared just above him. "You bastard. How dare you break my katana again!" Suddenly, he started forward, readying a punch. "How many times have I told you not to break it and come home?"

"What about you?" Amidamaru shot back, also readying his own punch. "Making me wait for six hundred years! You stubborn fool!"

"Why are they doing this all of a sudden?" Manta cried as Amidamaru and Mosuke's punches met each other's cheeks.

"They can't talk freely," Anna explained, "until they do something like that. How troublesome."

'_Men,' _I added in sign to her, and she smirked ever so slightly.

"I've wanted to see you," Mosuke admitted, his cheek still being pushed in by Amidamaru. He grinned.

"It's been a while," Amidamaru replied in a likewise position, also grinning.

()()()()()()()()

Before long, Yoh was holding up the shining, whole Harusame, Mosuke having repaired it through Ryu's body. I had to admire its gleam in the moonlight. It was quite the beautiful weapon.

"It was all thanks to you," Amidamaru thanked Ryu.

Ryu held up his hands. "Please stop, master," he pleaded. He sighed. "I was the one saved. Being a shaman really is the best."

_Depends on when and where to look at it, _I thought bitterly before I could catch myself, thinking about my current standstill with my friendships and my job. I immediately pushed the thought out of my mind; I was honored to have this job.

Everyone besides me chuckled at Ryu's words. HoroHoro, who was standing just in front of me with Manta, turned his head slightly and gave me a smile, but it turned to a slight frown when he saw my expression. I gave a wide smile to try and cover it; it helped to remember HoroHoro in drag.

Yoh sheathed the katana and held it out to Ryu. "We have to return this to the museum."

Ryu laughed and scratched the back of his head sheepishly before taking the katana. "Yeah."

Suddenly, I sensed a burst of shamanic energy, and I felt the presence of Mikihisa again. What did he want?

There was a thump, and we looked to see three of what I knew to be Mikihisa's oversouls. HoroHoro jumped, looking like he was about to attack; I put a hand on his shoulder just as Anna stopped him with her arm before turning around and heading inside. Suddenly realizing what I was doing, I retracted my hand quickly.

Ryu attempted to give Yoh Harusame, but Yoh held up his hand in dismissal, looking at the oversouls calmly.

"What are these things?" Amidamaru asked.

"These are the perfect things to test the other Harusame," Yoh answered.

"The other one?" Ryu asked, mirroring my confusion.

"Anna?" Yoh looked expectantly at the front door.

Anna tossed a sheath, and Manta caught it. "Wow, it's light." He popped open the cap to see that there was no sword inside. "Huh?" He put the cap back on.

"Master, what do you plan to do with that?" Ryu asked.

Yoh chuckled as Manta brought him the sheath. "Just watch."

Quickly, he merged with Amidamaru and took the sheath. He pulled out the handle and the inside glowed before forming into a katana; an exact, spiritual copy of Harusame.

"Oh, I see," HoroHoro noted, his arms crossed. "It's because of Mosuke, isn't it?"

"That's right," Anna replied. "Mosuke's will is inside. When Amidamaru is with Yoh and holding it, a spiritual blade forms. For the Shaman Fight, it's required."

A spiritual weapon… Not quite oversoul, but still, Yoh was getting closer.

Yoh jumped at the oversouls and slashed, cutting one cleanly in half before doing it again lengthwise to another, and then again to the last one and sheathing the katana.

Three feathers, each one sliced in half, floated away from him. One landed in front of me, and I picked it up.

"A feather?" HoroHoro asked.

"It's Oji-sama's guardian," Anna explained.

"Huh?" HoroHoro looked completely confused.

"Mikihisa-Oji-sama," Anna replied just as I thought his name. "Yoh's dad." She looked up to the roof, and I followed her gaze, but all that was there was the moon in the sky.

"Father?" Yoh held up a feather. "Yeah, Dad's guardian," he confirmed. "I wonder why he came."

_To test you, _I thought. But for now, I had to act in the dark. It'd be more than just a little awkward for Yoh to know that I had met his father before.

()()()()()()()()

I went up to the roof a little later, watching Ryu ride off on his motorcycle. I had a feeling that I wouldn't be seeing him again for a while.

Suddenly, a bright, blue light streaked across the sky. _**'Lago… We haven't seen that for a while, have we?'**_

Nix appeared on my shoulder. _**'No, we haven't.' **_He hopped off my shoulder and onto the side of the roof, gazing at the star. I knew what was on his mind.

"Lago?" I looked down from the roof to see Manta in the yard, staring up at Yoh on the balcony. If Anna or HoroHoro was there, I couldn't see them.

"You didn't go home?" Yoh asked.

"What's Lago?" Manta asked.

Yoh looked back up at the blue sphere in the sky. "The star that signals the beginning." He caught sight of me out of the corner of his eye and smiled at me. I backed up out of sight.

Nix looked at me. _**'And also the end,' **_he added to me. I smiled sadly.

I heard Anna's voice. "Lago is in one of the Esoteric Buddhism stories. It's a mysterious star that represents total destruction. It is said to near Earth with the star Keito once every five hundred years, bringing great disaster."

"Destruction?" I heard Manta ask. "Great disaster? I've never heard of this."

"Of course not," Anna replied. "Because a savior has appeared each time and changed it from great destruction to a great revival."

"Do you mean…?"

"Yes," Yoh said. "That would be the Shaman King."

Nix hopped back up onto my shoulder. _**'It's your duty.'**_

'_**I know,' **_I replied. _**'I just wish I didn't have to detach myself from these friends… It'll be hard. This body is different from the ones I had in the other Fights. It needs more… relationships with others.'**_

Nix gave me a sad, doubtful look. He sighed. _**'You've changed.'**_

I stayed silent for a moment._** '…I know. But I don't know why.'**_

'…_**I suppose we'll just have to deal with this,' **_Nix replied quietly. _**'Perhaps it's the will of the King of Spirits. Perhaps it is a test.'**_

I gave him a look, but neither of us continued. I looked back up at Lago, choosing to ignore Nix's words for now. I took in the star that signaled the beginning, and also the end…


	13. Chrom

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King! I only own Tori and Nix :3**

_Eh... Not entirely sure if Tori is in character in this chapter- I had to edit this big time (if you see any things that don't make sense, TELL ME! I'll fix it...you know, eventually). Also, I looked info on Chrom up on Wikipedia, so if anything about him is wrong, well... I blame Wikipedia. But it doesn't really matter, I suppose. Whatever. But anyways, WE GET TO SEE SILVA-CHAN! XD I love Silva. He's just plain awesome. But now I gots to go, so enjoy!_

Normal text and "speach," _thought, 'singing and mouthing,' **'telepathy.'**_

**Thirteen: Chrom**

I had dressed (not liking to wear my yukata after I was awake) and was already walking towards the stairs when I saw HoroHoro slam open Yoh's door, still in his yukata. "_Wake up!_" he shouted in a voice louder than any I could ever remember hearing. I didn't know that HoroHoro got up at five AM; I thought I was the early riser.

At breakfast, I watched as HoroHoro freaking _inhaled _his rice, while Yoh ate like it was causing him pain - something I thought I'd never see in a million years.

"What's wrong?" HoroHoro asked, noticing his reluctance to eat.

"My stomach can't handle food this early," Yoh explained, looking exhausted.

"That's too bad!" HoroHoro screeched; what was up with him? "The day won't start until you eat breakfast, right Tori?" He lifted his eyebrow as if to give me a hint.

I shrugged noncommittally, and he gave me a sort of glare before going back to eating.

"It's good," Anna commented on HoroHoro's cooking.

"Of course!" HoroHoro pinched his chopsticks. "Butter makes it tasty!" He laughed almost manically and slapped Yoh on the back. "Anyways, just eat!"

"Well if I couldn't eat it then…"

HoroHoro suddenly got closer to Yoh. "Don't leave any leftovers," he said dangerously. "People who waste food will go to hell."

Tears were streaming down Yoh's face as I took seconds. "I don't want to go to hell," he whined pathetically.

()()()()()()()()

Later, as we walked toward the school (I gave them the excuse that I took special classes and my parents had exempted me from school until the Shaman Fights were over; it was a faulty excuse, but I didn't really care), Yoh was groaning while he clutched at his stomach.

"What's wrong?" Manta asked. "You don't look so good."

"I feel like I'm going to throw up," he admitted. I edged away from him.

"It was good food," Anna insisted.

Suddenly feeling another presence, I looked upwards to see a cloaked figure on the top of a building. I grinned inwardly.

'_**Hey, Silva-chan.'**_

I saw him move slightly, as if startled. He couldn't really respond back to me, but I could read his mind; with him, I gave him little privacy just to irk him, like a sister would to an older brother - he basically was this, as the Patch were my kin. _**'Tori, what are you doing here?'**_

'_**Watching shamans, like you.'**_

I could almost hear him sigh. _**'I saw Nix earlier. Tonight, when I test Yoh, you are going to watch Chrom qualify his contestant. He'll be in the south section of the city. It's your duty to stay away from Yoh; soon enough, you'll want him to become Shaman King, and you'll lose your willingness to help the Shaman King if it is not him.'**_

I knew that he was right, but I mentally sighed to him, doing it just to exasperate him. _**' But Silva-chan…'**_

'_**You heard me, Tori.'**_

'_**Fine.'**_

()()()()()()

Later, at the park, we were relaxing at the pond. I enjoyed the quiet, glad for the change from the city. Since Lago had appeared, I'd felt even more shamans gathering in Tokyo, and had seen some of them, too. It felt good to take a break…

"Hey, is it all right to be that calm?" Manta asked Yoh, who had quite the dreamy look on his face.

In all reality, I should be staying the hell away from them, but I couldn't. It was like I had a permanent attachment to them. I had decided that, if I were to stay with Yoh during the Shaman Fights, I'd have to put on an act while I slowly detached myself from him…

I thought about my conversation with Nix, about if my sudden ability to truly have feelings was some sort of test by the King of Spirits. I wondered why, if it was, I would be tested now and not earlier…

"Isn't the Shaman Fight about to start?" Manta pressed Yoh, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah," Yoh agreed. "Since Lago passed by…"

"Shouldn't you be more worried, then?" Manta asked.

"I guess," Yoh replied almost carelessly. "I know that it's finally time, but I don't know how it will start. It would be too tiring to worry about it."

I had to agree. It _was _tiring to worry about the Shaman Fights. And in all reality, I _shouldn't _be worrying.

"It doesn't seem right to act like that… What do you think, Tori-kun?" Manta asked.

I looked at him, a little surprised to be asked. _'I'm worrying, but I agree with Yoh; it's better not to.'_

"Don't worry about it," Yoh told me. "There's no point."

No point… Yoh was right. There was no point in me worrying about what would happen. I didn't think I could change it at this point, anyways.

Amidamaru appeared. "I feel the same way as Manta. If you want to win the fight, you can't just-"

"Isn't it okay?" Anna asked from where she lounged on a bench, drawing our attentions. "Nothing will happen, even if you act now."

"Even Anna-san…" Manta looked stricken.

Suddenly, with the sound of birds, there was a shadow on us, and I just barely stopped myself from smiling, recognizing the aura of Silva as we turned around.

"Looks like they finally made their move," Anna noted as Manta screamed at the figure in the air.

"Life or death…" Silva began, his face covered by a mask and his Patch clothes billowing in the wind. "If you were given the choice, would you still wish to enter the Shaman Fight?"

"Life or death?" Manta exclaimed.

Yoh was smiling, and so was I, though probably for a different reason than Yoh.

"If so, let us meet again on the night that the star calls," Silva invited, extending his oversouled wings (I'd like to say that I taught him that, but I didn't) and blasting us with a gust of air. We covered our faces in the blast, and when we looked back up, Silva was gone.

()()()()()()()

That night, Yoh, HoroHoro, and I sat on the porch to the backyard. I felt like I should give them some guy time or something, but I didn't feel like leaving.

"Life or death…" HoroHoro repeated. He was grinning slightly. "Yeah, someone came to me too."

"Was he wearing a weird mask?" Yoh asked, smiling in amusement.

"I wonder if he roams around the city in that costume," HoroHoro added.

_Them, _I corrected mentally. The Patch officials were all like my older brothers (though I didn't put them in the same category as Tai). In technicality, I should be _somewhat _like a superior…thing, but I let them talk to me like I was a little sister. It was nice like that. But most of the time, it was only Silva, Kalim, Chrom or Nichrom who acted that way, though definitely not all the time; goodness knew that if Goldva was in charge of me I'd be kept under lock and key.

"Scary, isn't it?" Anna asked form inside the house. We all chuckled, me soundlessly.

HoroHoro gazed back up at the sky. "Finally, my senses are starting to kick in. Shaman Fight."

"Yeah, I'm getting excited," Yoh agreed, resting his head in his hands. I had to agree with him a bit.

"Why are you excited?" HoroHoro asked, a little incredulously.

"What do you mean by that?" Yoh asked.

"Isn't that obvious? I'm the one who'll become the Shaman King!" HoroHoro declared importantly.

"Who decided that?" Yoh did a rare freak-out, and I found myself breathlessly giggling as they bantered.

"This is stupid, I'm going to sleep," Anna called.

"Good night!" Yoh called.

HoroHoro stood. "I guess I'll go to sleep as well."

"Okay," Yoh said.

I stood as well and waved to Yoh as I followed HoroHoro upstairs; tonight was the night that the qualifying matches would be held, and I wanted to grab my staff before I headed out in case I needed it.

At the top of the stairs, HoroHoro turned to me. To my surprise, he signed to me. _'I'm going to become the Shaman King.'_

I blinked in surprise. I looked at HoroHoro's face and saw that he was both determined and slightly nervous at this blatant attempt at trying to impress me. I couldn't really respond with a challenge to this, but I signed back, _'You can try.'_

With that, I went into my room, sliding the door shut without looking back. Immediately, I sat on the floor, realizing what I had just signed. If HoroHoro had understood me, I didn't know, but it might've looked like I'd been…flirting with him, if he thought the 'voice' behind my signing was coy or something. I hoped he didn't think that. If he did really like me like that…

Maybe I was just overreacting.

I grabbed my extendable staff and peered out into the hall, wanting to make sure that no one was going to watch me leave. When I saw no one, I hurried down the steps and hurried out the front door, being careful to be quiet so that Yoh couldn't hear me from where he sat, still on the porch.

I slipped out the front gate and hurried into the city, keeping an eye on the stars. I had to hurry if I wanted to get to Chrom before his first qualifier. I considered oversouling Nix so that I could have my (er, _his?_) wings, but I couldn't do that quite yet - someone might see me. I'd oversoul when I got there so I could fly up to a nice hiding spot.

It took me a while to run there, but luckily the streets didn't seem to be too busy that night. I sensed Chrom before I saw him; he had chosen an alleyway so dirty and out of the way that I couldn't even sense anyone near it.

'_**Chrom!' **_I jumped at him, and hugged him around his middle.

He chuckled from behind his mask and patted my head fondly. He decided not to speak, and instead thought. _**'Hey there, Tori. What's up?'**_

'_**I'm here to watch you and your qualifier,' **_I replied and pulled away from him. _**'Silva-chan said I had to.' **_I acted like such a child around the Patch officials. I hadn't in the last Shaman Fights. Maybe I really was…different…

Chrom chuckled again and pulled out something from his ceremonial Patch robes and handed it to me. _**'So you can blend in.'**_

'_**Thanks, Chrom.' **_I strapped the red Oracle Bell on my arm. _**'When does-'**_

I broke off the thought when I saw a star flash across the sky. _**'I'll go find a place to hide.'**_

'_**There's a dark ledge up there,' **_Chrom pointed out with his finger, directing my attention to the building that cornered the alley against a chain link fence.

'_**I'll be watching,' **_I told him as I oversouled Nix into the feather tied around my neck and crimson wings appeared on my backside. I flapped them experimentally, relishing the feeling of my feet lifting off the ground. I loved flying, perhaps more than anything else.

I took off and alighted on the ledge, finding it tucked into the corner in the shadow of the building, where I could watch but not be seen. It was pretty dirty up here, but I could take it.

Chrom and I waited in silence for his first qualifier to come. I decided against casting my senses out to try and identify who was coming; I'd see soon enough.

The moon was hidden behind a cloud. I was a patient person, but I was yawning when Nix's senses picked up the sound of…hooves (when I oversouled Nix, we still shared his senses and he could still speak for me). The sound caught my attention; who rode around on a horse in Tokyo?

I saw a figure enter the alley on horseback and jump down onto the ground. There was just enough light for me to see that it was probably male and wore a black battle outfit with gold trimming, and wore what looked like Chinese slippers on his feet. A gaudy and great, billowing cape was on his shoulders. In the sky, the moon came out from around the cloud, and I saw the gleam of his yellow eyes…

"It appears that you have made your decision, Tao Ren," Chrom said. He pulled off his traditional robes and revealed his muscular body and battle outfit. "I am Chrom, one of the ten officiating priests who have overseen the Shaman Fight since ancient times. I will test you to see if you have the right to enter the Shaman Fight."

Ren just extended his Kwan Dao. "Just tell me what I have to do," he said, eyes narrowed.

Chrom smirked. "It's simple. You have ten minutes to hit me once with a clean blow. If you can do that, you'll get this." He held up an Oracle Bell, slipping it around his wrist. "And you'll gain the right to enter the Shaman Fight."

Ren wasted no preamble and quickly merged with his spirit, Bason, before darting forward with his Kwan Dao; I held my breath. I knew Chrom could certainly handle this, but I still was wary of Tao Ren. But I couldn't be wary anymore. I couldn't be afraid.

Before Ren could get too close, his attack was suddenly blocked by Chrom's oversoul; a chest plate produced through the armor-like plates on his vest. Ren's eyes widened and then narrowed in interest as he pushed himself away before Chrom could land a blow on him.

Chrom smirked - he always did like to aggravate people. "You think you can do this with just nine minutes left?"

"Of course I can!" Ren snarled, darting forward again and this time managing to get behind Chrom to attempt slashing at him again. However, Chrom was faster than he looked and ducked down out of the way, jumping back.

"I expected more from the heir of the infamous Tao family!" Chrom called.

Ren suddenly let out a fearsome growl and forced Bason out of his body before inserting the spirit into his Kwan Dao, creating oversoul. I had to admit, I was impressed; barely two minutes in, and Ren already could oversoul. He was definitely powerful.

"_Golden Chuuka Zanmai!" _he screeched, sending a volley of golden, faster-than-lightning jabs at Chrom. Chrom, seeing immediately that his oversoul could be broken by this attack, tried to duck out of the way, but I saw his arm get hit, a burst of blood spilling from his bicep.

There was a pause, in which Chrom smiled but Ren scowled. Chrom pulled the Oracle Bell off of his wrist and threw it at Ren, who caught it without a word and stared at the screen for a moment before strapping it onto his arm.

Hardly over two minutes. I'd seen faster, but it was rare; more often, if one could even get the _concept _of oversoul, it took them from six to almost ten minutes to land a hit on the Patch official. Tao Ren was in the Shaman Fight, and I knew he would be a powerful contender.

"The Oracle Bell will relay to you all information regarding the Shaman Fight. It displays the will of the Great Spirit directly." Chrom's smile turned into an irksome grin. "But was that all you could do? I barely got worked up."

Ren tensed.

I narrowed my eyes. I knew Chrom liked to goad people on, but what was he doing here? Ren had already gained entry into the Tournament. Did he just want a spar or something?

Chrom continued. "I'd heard stories of how ruthless the Tao family could be, but I expected a better fight. Though you passed, Ren, I'm disappointed."

Suddenly, Ren was screeching and running at Chrom. Before I could even react to it, Ren had managed to use an intricate twirl of his Kwan Dao to knock Chrom into the piles of trash pushed up against the chain link fence, and was stabbing at him with his blade repeatedly.

My eyes widened, and I was frozen until Ren started to laugh manically, showing no signs of stopping the assault.

'_**Chrom!'**_Nix wouldn't let me screech the name, but I reached out to the priest with my mind, jumping down from the ledge and opening my oversouled wings to swoop down. I couldn't feel his consciousness. _**'CHROM!'**_

When I was on the ground, I violently pushed Ren aside and stood looking at the mutilated body before me. Chrom… Chrom was…

"What are _you _doing here?" Ren spat, pulling my attention to him.

I could not care less about his question as I rounded on him. "You killed him!" I couldn't let Nix deny me my screams. "_You killed him!_"

Ren didn't seem like he could care less as he brandished his Kwan Dao at me. "So? He knew what was coming to him! He shouldn't have tried to-"

"_I don't care!_" I'd never screamed like this in this life. My throat was on fire, but so was the rest of my body as adrenaline coursed through it. Angrier than I could ever remember, I flapped my wings at him, sending a gust of air in his direction, full of fire.

The attack never fully reached him; Nix made sure of that. But I didn't stop the attack, I didn't stop sending waves of nearly unbearable heat at him. I could barely see Ren through the haze.

"Get out of here!" I cried; if Nix tried to change what I wanted to say, my mind overruled him. "You've won your stupid Oracle Bell, now leave!"

Ren was standing just out of range of my attack, his arms at his sides as he stared at me. I managed to meet his eyes through the haze, and after a moment, he turned around and walked away towards his steed, mounting it. He gave me one last look, unreadable through the fog of heat, and turned his horse away from me. Soon, he was gone.

Reluctantly, I slowed my wings to a stop, breathing heavily as the leftover fire in the air dissipated. Suddenly crying out, I let my tears fall for the first time as I turned to the bloody, distorted body that lay in the trash.

I knelt at his side immediately, putting my hands on his wounds, focusing my furyoku to him. I felt the wound heat slightly and begin to heal, but with Chrom completely gone, and with the amount of time that had passed, the gash stopped closing almost immediately.

I stood and backed away from him a few paces, staring at him. He didn't even look like he had ever been a person anymore, covered with blood and grime…

I dropped to my knees, breaking oversoul. My gasps turned voiceless as I came onto all fours and cried, tears spilling onto the filthy pavement. Nix appeared beside me, his feet on the ground for once, looking torn between staying by me and looking at Chrom's remains.

I don't know how long I stayed like that. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours. When the tears finally stopped coming, I sniffed and wiped at my eyes with dirty fingers.

'_**Silva…' **_I needed him. I needed him and the other priests. I cast my mind throughout the whole of Tokyo, farther than I could quite remember, fumbling through auras like one would with numb fingers. Finally, I found him.

'_**Silva!'**_


	14. Pirika

**DISCLAIMER: Shaman King isn't mine. Nix, Tori, and Tai are.**

_Twelve-point Times New Roman, single space, 8 pages. Maybe not a heck of a lot to some people, but to me... Jeez. o.o You all had better be happy- I REALLY should be working on my project for English. Hopefully this'll tide you over till Friday :P_

_Not many notes or anything to point out; there was a jump from the last chapter to here, but Tori was too out-of-it to really be able to explain what was going on anyway. And thus we start her hatred for Ren... *evilly grins but hugs Lenny*_

Normal text and "speaking," _thought, 'signing and mouthing,' **'telepathy.'**_

**Fourteen: Pirika**

It was the will of the King of Spirits. That's what Goldva would say. That's what _I _would say five hundred years ago in the previous Shaman Fight, heck, in my _last _life. But so many things had changed since then. I'd changed. I wasn't supposed to have changed, but I did, and I can't go back to how I was.

It was impossible to go back. But I had to try…

It was midmorning by the time I returned, dead tired, to the En Inn. Silva and the rest had insisted that I leave Chrom's…body to them and head home. Try to relax. Try to put it behind me. They hadn't said it aloud, but it was implied that I couldn't hold this against Tao Ren.

They thought I could do it. But I couldn't.

I staggered into the house, sliding the door closed behind me as I kicked off my shoes. I could barely register anything; I was literally shaking with exhaustion, and I must've looked like a terrible mess.

"Tori?" I heard Yoh call, and the sound of pounding feet from the other side of the house managed to reach my ears. "Tori! I was worried! I got my Oracle Bell, and my first opponent is HoroHoro! Did you-"

Yoh rounded the corner and when he saw me, he stopped. His eyes widened. "Tori! What happened?"

I tried to reply, but my hands were shaking. I heard more footsteps, and Manta and HoroHoro rounded the corner as well, and their eyes widened as they took in my state. Maybe I should've cleaned up before I came…

"Tori-kun!" Manta said as HoroHoro jumped to my side and hesitantly put his hand on my shoulder like I would fall over at any minute. "What happened?" he asked me.

I tried to reply again, buy my hands wouldn't stop shaking. Instead, I just held up my arm with the Oracle Bell strapped to it and attempted a smile, which Yoh frowned at.

Manta grinned, not quite seeing how forced it was. "Way to go, Tori-kun!"

"You look exhausted," HoroHoro commented, his eyes narrowed. "Did anything else happen?"

I shook my head wearily, and nearly fell over at the feeling of vertigo. I was so exhausted that my vision was starting to get hazy.

"She should sit down," I heard Manta instruct, and Yoh came over to help HoroHoro lead me to the hallway to sit, but before we got there, Anna stood in our way.

"She's filthy," Anna stated. "Help me get her to the onsen."

I felt HoroHoro's hand tense on my shoulder, and if I wasn't feeling so out of it I might've slapped away the dirty thought that I was sure was running through his mind, but right now I couldn't bring myself to care. In my head, I kept seeing blood and heard Ren laughing manically…

()()()()()()()()()

Anna slammed the onsen door shut behind us and turned to me.

"Don't give me any crap about being mute," she told me, arms crossed. "You can communicate with your spirit with telepathy, and there's no reason you can't do that with me. What happened exactly?"

Nix appeared in the blink of an eye, but I held out my arm to stop him. _**'No, Nix,' **_I told him, also including Anna in. _**'She deserves to know.'**_

Anna was silent for a moment. "Let's sit down, first."

Soon, we were both sitting in the onsen; I held onto my towel for dear life, not wanting Anna to somehow see the mark on my back. I was going to tell her enough to satisfy her curiosity, but my mark was both my weak point and my strong point.

Anna stared at me in the way that only she could. "Explain."

I sighed. _**'Anna, I can't tell you absolutely everything. But what I do tell you, you have to promise not to tell. Anyone.'**_

Anna narrowed her eyes. "If not knowing will hurt Yoh, then I'll tell him. Other than that, I promise."

I nodded slowly. _**'That's fair. Well… A… long time ago, I was chosen by the ten priests to do something for the Shaman King.' **_I changed the fact that it was the King of Spirits who had chosen me and not the ten priests. She didn't need to know that part._** 'Until the Shaman King is crowned, I have to stay neutral throughout the Shaman Fight. But for some reason, that's impossible for me right now.' **_

I paused, but Anna made no attempt to speak as she stared at the steaming water.

'_**Last night,' **_I continued, _**'after I was given my Oracle Bell to blend in with the other shamans, I watched the priest Chrom test Tao Ren. And Ren killed him.' **_I took a breath and found that it shuddered slightly. _**'The priests… I grew up with them. They're kind of like my brothers. But they're not supposed to be. It's all… complicated.'**_

Anna was silent for a moment. Then, she asked, "Yohmei told me to trust you. How do you know him?"

'_**The priests told me to go to Japan first, before the Shaman Fight started. They told me that the great shamanic clan of the Asakuras would watch me until I went to Tokyo. Yoh had already gone, and I don't know where you were. I only saw Yohmei-sama and Mikihisa-san, and Kino-sama once, but I was only in Izumo for two days.' **_I sighed again, growing sleepy. _**'Only the priests and the Shaman King are allowed to know what I do for the Shaman King. I'm sorry I can't tell you more. And please…stay quiet about my telepathy.'**_

Anna was quiet, staring into the water. Though Nix wasn't visible anymore, I could feel his displeasure, palpable in the air. But I knew Anna. She was reliable.

"I won't tell," she promised.

()()()()()()()()

I slept for most of the day, my exhaustion canceling out my thoughts that were still stuck on Chrom's bloody corpse and Ren's laughter. My dreams were filled with heat from my oversouled wings and Ren's icy gold glare…

I didn't think I was afraid of Ren anymore. I hated him.

I went downstairs when it got dark out for supper, staying quieter than usual as I sat down for dinner. Everyone besides Anna gave me sympathetic glances as I sat beside Manta and grabbed a bowl. They thought I was just exhausted because I had seemed to have trouble with the qualification, but I had seen a killing. A killing where I knew the victim and the murderer.

But as Goldva would say, it was the will of the King of Spirits, and I had to go along with it.

There was silence as we ate, and Anna finally said, "You guys are annoying! How long are you two going to mumble over this? What's decided can't be changed."

That's when I remembered Yoh saying something about HoroHoro being his first opponent in the three-round preliminaries. Two wins got you the chance to go to Patch Village; anything less and you were ousted.

"There are a lot of participants," HoroHoro answered, keeping his eyes closed in thought. "It didn't _have _to be Yoh…"

"Looks like you already lost," Anna pointed out.

HoroHoro pointed to Yoh with his chopsticks. "How can I lose to this dull guy? It's just that I owe him for shelter and food so-"

"Don't make up excuses for when you lose," Anna interrupted.

HoroHoro leaned on the table toward Anna angrily. "What did you say? I'm just-"

Anna ignored him and held out her bowl to Manta. "Get me seconds."

"Okay," Manta replied meekly, picking up her bowl and hurrying off toward the kitchen.

"Listen to what other people have to say!" HoroHoro screeched, standing up.

Yoh kept silent as he ate.

Suddenly, I heard a feminine shout from outside, and I blinked, turning my head towards the hall.

HoroHoro noticed my sudden change and turned to me. "What is it, Tori?"

I stood. _'Someone's at the door.'_

HoroHoro's face scrunched in confusion as I hurried toward the front door - I didn't know if he had understood me. Rounding the corner, I was met by the sight of Manta being cuddled by a blue-haired girl who was cooing about him being Kororo. Though this situation was a little odd, I had to smile. Immediately, though, it was wiped from my face to be replaced by a passive look when I heard _his _laughing echo in my ears…

When the girl looked up, she didn't notice me, but Kororo beside me.

"Kororo?" she asked. She held Manta out in front of her. "Then what's this little thing?"

Manta was sweating with nervousness. "I'm Oyamada Manta, I'm thirteen years old."

The girl's eyes widened, and she screamed. "No!" She _punched _Manta aside and buried her face in her hands; Kororo came up beside her as I watched in confusion. "How cruel! I'll never become a bride now!"

"Pirika?" HoroHoro sounded panicked as he ran into the entry way behind me. "Is that you, Pirika?"

"Onii-chan!" the girl - Pirika - looked up at him in earnest.

I blinked. Brother? Sister?

()()()()()()()

"Thank you for taking care of my brother!" Pirika chimed as I poured her a cup of tea. "I'm his younger sister, Pirika! Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you, too," Yoh replied with his usual calm air.

"Despite being brother and sister, you two don't act alike," Anna noted, almost bored. "Pirika-chan is a lot cuter."

"Oh… how true." Pirika smiled to herself.

I had to be amused by this. Poor HoroHoro looked incredibly uncomfortable.

"If you're HoroHoro's sister, then you live in Hokkaido, right?" Yoh asked. "Are you sight seeing?"

While he was talking, HoroHoro tried to edge away, but Pirika grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him back without even looking at him. "No. I thought it was about time for the first match to start, so…"

"First match?" Manta asked. "You mean…"

"Of course," Pirika continued. "I'm talking about the preliminary match of the Shaman Fight in Tokyo. So, onii-chan, has your opponent been decided?"

"U-uh," HoroHoro stuttered, reluctantly giving Pirika his arm so that she could see what was written.

"'Asakura Yoh'?" Pirika read, clutching onto HoroHoro's arm as she peered at his Oracle Bell. "What a boring name. I wonder what kind of person he is."

"It's me, it's me," Yoh replied, a little nervously. Pirika looked up in confusion as Yoh continued. "I'm HoroHoro's first opponent, Asakura Yoh."

HoroHoro sighed, obviously knowing what was coming.

"_What_?" Pirika freaked. She rounded on HoroHoro in a burst of absolute fury. "You've been under enemy care all this time?"

HoroHoro was sweating, holding his hands up in defense. "It couldn't be helped! It was just announced!"

Pirika was suddenly pouring the tea that I had kindly poured her into the fish bowl. "There could be poison in the tea! What if there's something under the seating mats? What if the ceiling's trapped?" She rounded on me now, pointing at me threateningly. "And you're awfully quiet, what are you planning to do to my brother?"

I opened my mouth in surprise, but obviously nothing was going to come out.

"Tori can't speak, Pirika, enough already!" HoroHoro shouted.

We watched as Pirika shouted at her brother; Manta looked stunned, Anna looked bored, and Yoh looked a little amused. I was both amused and stunned. "This is enemy territory! You can't relax for a second! They may sneak up to you while you're asleep!"

"Yeah, there was that option," Anna agreed quietly.

We looked at her in astonishment.

"Get your things, onii-chan!" Pirika commanded.

()()()()()()()

We stood on the front porch; HoroHoro and Pirika were on the walkway, turned to us. Pirika had her bag, and HoroHoro had his snowboard strapped to his back.

"I appreciate you taking care of my onii-chan," Pirika thanked us. "But the one who will become the Shaman King is him!" She then pointed at Yoh threateningly. "The next time we meet will be at the match, two weeks from now. We won't hold back. Prepare yourself."

Yoh just looked at her with an almost blank expression. "Okay."

"Goodbye," Pirika sighed, turning around and walking away like she couldn't stand to look at us anymore. We all waved, including HoroHoro.

"Yeah, goodbye," he bade her with a smile.

"This way, onii-chan!" Pirika suddenly had a net around him and was dragging him off the property.

"Ouch! Pirika, stop dragging me!" HoroHoro begged, trying to keep his face from rubbing against the stone walkway.

Pirika ignored his pleas. "Starting tomorrow we're going to train hard, okay, onii-chan?"

"Where have I seen this situation?" Manta asked.

Tears were streaming down Yoh's face. "I know how you feel, HoroHoro," he whimpered.

"Now we can fully concentrate on training tomorrow," Anna said.

Both Manta and Yoh tensed, their eyes instantly wide.

()()()()()()()()

We were at the cemetery. Again. For the entire day. At least, Yoh and Manta were forced to do this. I came of my own accord. There were no Shaman Fights scheduled this early in the preliminaries, not until Yoh's and HoroHoro's. Once theirs was decided, I'd have a busy time of seeing at least most of the matches.

I sat, leaning against the tree, watching Yoh repeatedly insert Amidamaru into Harusame to create oversoul. It was interesting to see the power Yoh could summon, but after about the tenth time, I was bored out of my mind. And we'd been doing this for a couple of days, so we were probably around a number in the hundreds. Perhaps thousands. I'd lost count.

By the time the sun began to set, Yoh was panting, exhausted. Poor guy.

"You've gotten pretty good," Anna noted. "Now walk home like a duck with your oversoul on."

"It's tiring having the oversoul on!" Yoh complained.

_If Yoh had more furyoku, it wouldn't be a problem, _I found myself thinking. I blinked. I was startled to find that, more often than not, my thoughts were turning cynical.

"That's why it's called training," Anna explained to him. She stood fully and walked off. "Manta, Tori, watch him so he doesn't slack off."

"Hai," Manta agreed.

"You won't get dinner if you're late!" Anna warned, disappearing down the cemetery steps.

Yoh sighed. He suddenly turned to me as we stood. "Oh! That's right. I never asked you, who's your first opponent?"

I'd never been asked that, but luckily I was ready with a completely made up name. I held out my Oracle Bell to him.

"'Julia… Evergreen,'" he read, mispronouncing it completely. He scratched his head. "What kind of a name is Evergreen?"

Manta laughed. "It's English, Yoh, her family name is Evergreen."

"Oh. That explains it." He looked back at my Oracle Bell. "What? It's at the exact same time as my match with HoroHoro!" Yoh frowned. "It'd been nice to at least be there for you." He sighed. "We'd better be getting back if we want dinner. C'mon."

As we walked, Yoh with his oversoul on, Manta turned to me. "That reminds me, Tori-kun, we've never seen you use oversoul!"

I blinked in surprise. I took Nix and inserted him calmly into the feather tied around my neck, and I limited the flow of furyoku to my oversoul to make my wings look smaller and softer than they usually were.

Manta's eyes were wide. "Wow!"

Yoh was looking at me curiously. "Silva, the priest who tested me, he had oversoul wings too."

I shrugged, a curious look on my face as well. _'I bet mine are cooler,' _I signed, thinking of how this bet might irk Silva.

Yoh laughed.

()()()()()()()

Be there…for me?

I found myself contemplating Yoh's earlier words as I walked out of the bathroom past the onsen. There'd never been anyone to look out for me in my lives besides my family, and even then I was still shunned because of my muteness. Before Yoh, I'd never had a best friend, only the Patch, and I completely regretted that I hadn't been Tai's friend in return to his sibling cares for me. Of course, I _always _had Nix, but Nix's friendship was a bit different; we never could exist without the other, that I was assumingly sure of, but Nix was difficult to get along with sometimes.

Yoh was accepting, though. He didn't push me away or just keep me at a distance because I couldn't speak. He didn't shun HoroHoro or Ryu, Jun or Pailong. He was _my _best friend, just after Nix, even if his was obviously Manta's.

But still… Yoh still thought there was good in _Ren. _Tao Ren. The one who wanted to destroy everything! Even Hao wasn't as cruel as him. In reality, Hao was nice, but his methods were… unorthodox. But Ren… Ren was just… inhuman.

I was about to turn the corner of the hallway when I saw Anna standing with a hose at the onsen door. Curious, I walked up behind her, peering over her shoulder to see what she was doing.

She slammed open the door. "Enemies should hurry up and get out," she hissed, turning on the hose and blasting away someone I hadn't expected to see so soon; HoroHoro.

As HoroHoro flew through the air, he screamed.

()()()()()()()()

"What's wrong, Manta?" Yoh asked. "You still have some food left over. If you don't have an appetite, I'll eat it for you." He grabbed a bit of chicken and stuffed it in his mouth.

I set down my bowl and chopsticks, my stomach full, and looked at Manta.

The short genius turned to Yoh, rising to his feet. "How can you be so calm?"

"Hm?" Yoh, his mouth still full, turned to Manta.

"Tomorrow! Tomorrow night you'll be fighting HoroHoro in the first round of the Shaman Fight! And Tori-kun will be fighting her opponent as well! I'm so nervous right now that I can't swallow my food. Yet you're just…"

Yoh smiled. "Don't worry. I'm sure it'll all work out."

Manta seemed to deflate. "Jeez… you're so easygoing… Please say something, Anna-san."

Anna stood. "I have a radio program that I want to listen to," she declared, leaving the room.

"Anna-san…" Manta trailed off.

Yoh turned to Manta with his bowl. "Seconds, please."

()()()()()()()()

It was one-thirty in the morning when we got to the Sun Sunshine building, the location of Yoh's and HoroHoro's first official match. I'd agreed to come with them this far before I hurried off to 'my match.'

"Good luck, Tori!" Yoh called as I ran away, waving. Manta also yelled a goodbye, but Anna was silent, staring after me.

I disappeared around a corner. After making sure no one was around, I oversouled and flew up onto the building across the street from the Sun Sunshine building, where Silva and Kalim were waiting. They were serious-looking, but both of them offered me a nod. I nodded back, showing that I wasn't in the mood for conversing with them, and settled down to watch the fight, keeping oversoul so that I could see and hear better.

"Yoh," I heard Anna say (goodness, I loved being able to hear from this far away), "change into your battle outfit.

He gave her what was probably a look of confusion.

"You won't be able to fight well in those sandals, right?" she asked, holding up a bag. "I want you to present yourself in a manner that doesn't embarrass the Shaman King name."

"Anna…," Yoh breathed, surprised.

When Yoh was dressed, he looked like he was struggling to stay calm. "Anna…"

Yoh was dressed in an orange-and-black jumpsuit sort of outfit, perfect for battling but not the least bit stylish. At least she allowed him to wear his headphones.

"It suits you perfectly," Anna commented.

"This is the exact same training gear from when I was little!" Yoh exploded, tugging at his shirt. "This is embarrassing!"

Manta laughed, pointing at Yoh's clothing. "What is this?"

"Do you have something against my handmade battle outfit?" Anna asked evenly but dangerously.

Yoh and Manta froze, and I could almost hear the gears in their brains turning. Suddenly, their attitude changed completely. "It's perfect!" Yoh exclaimed, striking a pose.

Manta looked at the outfit like he was in love. "How elegant!"

"You guys are so obvious," Anna noted.

There was suddenly a bellowing laugh, and I looked up at the top of the Sun Sunshine building to see HoroHoro there, his hands on his hips and his feet on his snowboard. "What kind of style is that, Yoh?"

He jumped down from the top of the building, freefalling through the air until he let out a blast of freezing air from his snowboard to slow his descent and land safely on the ground.

I let out a slight sigh. HoroHoro had used up furyoku when he didn't even have to. He was nice and all that stuff, but he wasn't the brightest one in the bunch.

"What's with that outfit, Yoh?" he asked mockingly. "Left you alone for a while and your tastes have gotten really bad."

I could tell where this was going.

A second later, Anna had punched HoroHoro square in the jaw, sending him backwards.

"Hey hey!" Pirika exclaimed, coming up to them. "You aren't a contestant!"

"A person who laughs at my handmade clothing doesn't deserve to be the Shaman King," Anna explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Onii-chan!" Pirika called. "Get up! It's almost time for the match to start!"

HoroHoro jumped surprisingly quickly into the air above the unsuspecting Yoh, putting Kororo into his snowboard and sending a shower of icicles raining down onto Yoh before landing smoothly.

When the smoke caused by the Ainu's attack cleared, Yoh was still standing, Amidamaru oversouled into Harusame.

"What's with that attack, HoroHoro?" Yoh asked angrily. "What would have happened if it had hit me?"

"It wasn't illegal," HoroHoro pointed out. "Look at the clock!"

He jerked his head toward the digital clock on the building, which went from reading 1:59 to 2:00.

"It's two o'clock!" Manta exclaimed. "It's time for the match to start!"

"You haven't forgotten the Shaman Fight rules, have you?" HoroHoro goaded. "One must have their oversoul on during the match. You lose the second your oversoul breaks."

When Yoh looked confused, HoroHoro exploded. "You _forgot_?"

"Onii-chan!" Pirika called. "Hurry up and beat that joke!"

"There's no need to rush," HoroHoro replied, crouched as if to spring. "The fight has only begun. The real fight is about to start."

HoroHoro and Yoh were at a standstill, each waiting for the other to make the first move. I waited, wondering which one would take the initiative. I hadn't wondered before, but I questioned to myself just who would win this. To me, it seemed like they had an equal chance. The one who lost here would have to win both of his next matches in order to continue in the Shaman Fight. _**'What do you think, Nix?' **_

'_**We're not allowed to think,' **_he pointed out.

For just a moment…I had forgotten…

"Let's go, Yoh!" HoroHoro suddenly shouted, jumping into the air and extending a giant dagger of ice from his snowboard. _"Ebishingu Tesshipe!" _He shot downward toward Yoh, who barely managed to dodge out of the way before HoroHoro's attack hit the ground, instantly causing icicles to form on the ground.

HoroHoro kept up the attack, and Yoh kept dodging. "What's wrong Yoh?" HoroHoro provoked. "You're just going to dodge? You won't beat me by doing that!"

_You might not win either, _I thought pessimistically; it took up more furyoku to attack rather than just dodge.

HoroHoro drove the tip of his attack into the ground, causing ice to form all over the ground under Yoh's feet. _"Mososo Kurrupe!"_ he called, sending out a shockwave that caused icicles to start popping out of the ground toward Yoh, who jumped into the air to dodge.

HoroHoro jumped into the air as well, having far greater control with his oversoul. "You're in the air," he pointed out dangerously. "You can't block from that position."

With a yell, he shot more icicles toward Yoh, who created a shield with his oversoul to protect himself. The two fell away from each other, landing back onto the ground.

"Changing the shape of your oversoul… pretty good, Yoh!" HoroHoro complimented.

I had to agree with him. It was impressive that Yoh could do that, so soon in the Tournament.

The two darted at each other again, exchanging blows with the speed of light.

"So that's Asakura Yoh?" Kalim asked Silva; I glanced at them out of the corner of my eye.

"That's right," Silva replied.

"No wonder why you back him," Kalim continued, unintentionally reminding me that this was one of the things that was supposed to separate me from them. The fact that I wasn't allowed to back someone - though, technically, they shouldn't really be doing it either. "To think that he can fight like this just two weeks after learning oversoul. But the winner will be HoroHoro, who I am in charge of. He has a reason that prevents him from losing."

'_**Both of them are impressive,' **_I pointed out without looking at them, unable to keep out of the conversation as HoroHoro and Yoh continued to battle below us. _**'HoroHoro's dream may be more… unselfish than Yoh's, but this isn't just a battle of wills, Kalim. Wills are an important part, but there are many factors in these battles.'**_

My tone wasn't one of a child who had grown up with them, but of a soul with much more experience than either of them.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Silva look at me. "Who do you think will win, then?"

'_**I'm not allowed to take sides,' **_I reminded them. In my consciousness, I could feel Nix's displeasure at me basically stealing his words. He was feeling that a lot lately.

Below us, Yoh was about to slash at HoroHoro's snowboard, but HoroHoro's spirit sent out a blast of air and but distance between the two shamans. HoroHoro landed on the ground atop another icicle. "How about this?" he asked, causing icicles to pop out of the ground again.

"I've seen that as well," Yoh pointed out, dashing forward. _"Shinkuu Buttagiri!"_ He slashed out, slicing the icicles in half.

"My Mososo Kurrupe…" HoroHoro said disbelievingly. "He sliced all of them from that distance?" he asked as the icicle he was atop broke, and he slid off and fell onto the ground.

'_**See, Kalim?' **_I just barely kept the smugness out of my thought.

HoroHoro was panting as he knelt, but his oversoul was still intact. "I knew you weren't an ordinary person, but… I never expected you to become this strong." He raised his head slightly. "This could be bad."

'_**When doubt kicks in,' **_I continued, _**'will and hope are diminished.'**_

Kalim kept silent.

"Hang in there, onii-chan!" Pirika called, snapping my attention back to them.

"Are you going to give up your dream?" she continued. "To create the vast plain of coltsfoot?" Pirika spread her arms for emphasis. "If you don't win, the Koro Pokkuru tribe will be… Kororo and the others will be extinct!"

"…That's right…," HoroHoro muttered. He stood up, eyes shadowed. "For all those who live in the northern plains… I can't lose." Suddenly, the air grew cold, and snow began to fall from the sky that was alight with the glow of an aurora.

A snowflake fell directly onto my nose, melting instantly at the constant heat I radiated with Nix. Was this… from HoroHoro?

"So it came," Kalim spoke. "HoroHoro earned his qualification with that technique. Can Asakura Yoh defend against it?"

I blinked. That's how HoroHoro won his qualification? By making it snow? I'd never seen that. Nature was something incredibly difficult to tamper with, and even the strongest shaman couldn't control it all-powerfully. I looked down at the battlefield, eyeing HoroHoro with a new respect.

"'The god of the mountain is someone who occasionally likes to play with a strong mortal,'" HoroHoro quoted as the ground began to shake. "That is a saying from my village." His eyes were dark. "This saying warns of nature's enormous destructive power. But we think of it as a challenge from the god of the mountain to strong mortals."

HoroHoro looked up. "That is why I recognize you as a strong person, and challenge you with all my furyoku's power!"

I leaned forward, as if I could get closer. This was the defining moment in the battle. Either HoroHoro would use all his furyoku and perhaps kill Yoh in the process to win, or Yoh would somehow turn the situation around and defeat HoroHoro.

Before I could stop myself, I found myself hoping for the latter.

HoroHoro jumped into the air. "Let's go, Yoh!" he called. "Let's see how you deal with it! Kororo's most powerful technique! _Epikari Kyuupashi Horusuke!_"

Suddenly, an avalanche of snow burst from the surrounding area, with HoroHoro riding atop of it. It was a massive force, and I found myself impressed but also frightened for Yoh as HoroHoro's attack came closer.

Yoh jumped straight at the attack, and while I couldn't hear anything save for the avalanche, I knew he was going to use all his furyoku to attack as well.

There was an explosion of snow that whipped at my face, and I narrowed my eyes against the wind, trying to see how the match had played out.

Through the powdery snow, I saw HoroHoro's figure crouching.

"HoroHoro's the victor, look," Kalim said, pointing.

The snow completely settled, revealing a triumphantly-smirking HoroHoro. His oversoul had been broken, however. If Yoh's had broken before his, he really would be the winner. Instead of reaching out with my senses to try and feel for Yoh's spirit, I kept myself still as I watched.

"To think that I was forced to use such a powerful technique in the first match…," I heard HoroHoro muter. "That's Yoh all right." He stood up on his board. "Well, I guess I'll help him out before he suffocates."

There was a sudden burst of snow from behind HoroHoro, and he looked back to see Yoh in the air, his oversoul still intact as he prepared to slash at the Ainu. Yoh had a triumphant, calm smile on his face, and HoroHoro braced himself to take the attack as Yoh slashed, sending snow flying everywhere.

When the snow settled again, HoroHoro was shielding his head as the crack in the pavement next to him smoldered. He breathed something, but I couldn't hear what he said. It was probably something in astonishment.

Yoh pointed out that Kororo was outside of HoroHoro's snowboard, and the Ainu's eyes widened.

"Yoh-kun won!" Manta exclaimed, so loud that I wouldn't have needed Nix to hear him.

"Impossible!" Kalim sounded shocked. "You're telling me that he was able to get out of that enormous avalanche? That _kid_?"

"He has done many things that were thought to be impossible," Silva explained. "It was the same when he passed my test. No matter the situation, he maintains his composure and proceeds forward. That is the one we call Asakura Yoh."

I stood. _**'It was a pleasure watching the match with you two, but I must be going. Good night!' **_I thought to them, jumping down from the building on the side opposite from the Sun Sunshine building and drifting down to the ground with my oversouled wings before letting go of my oversoul completely.

()()()()()()()()

I finally got back to the house after taking the long route back, making sure to scramble through some thorn bushes to make it look like I had actually been fighting. My gut clenched with guilt at the thought of the lie, but it was necessary.

When I came into the main room, the first thing I noticed was Pirika crying.

"You're so annoying," Anna complained. "How long are you going to cry? A loss is a loss."

I walked in, and Manta looked up at me and beamed. "Tori-kun! Yoh won the match! Did you win yours?"

I grinned and nodded, signing, _'It wasn't all that hard. The girl could hardly oversoul.'_

I wondered if I could lie so easily if I was speaking.

Manta turned back to the table, where food was laid out. "Pirika-chan, hurry up and eat or it'll get cold."

Immediately, Pirika began stuffing her face.

I sat and ate too as Anna explained that HoroHoro still had two more fights to go through to still be in the Tournament. I didn't really listen; I was too hungry to care about much else but breakfast.

"Besides," Anna added, "it's not good for her if you cry like that."

I looked up from my bowl in interest as Pirika turned to Kororo, who looked completely downcast. Poor little Koro Pokkuru. She was too cute a creature to be sad.

Pirika hugged the little spirit. "I'm sorry Kororo. I wasn't trying to make you sad. It's my lazy bum of a brother who was good for nothing."

By the way, where were HoroHoro and Yoh?

Manta repeated my thought aloud and added, "Maybe they're taking a bath." He made to walk to the onsen, but Amidamaru held out him arm to stop him.

"Let's leave those two alone for today," the samurai suggested.

Manta hesitated, then smiled. "You're right."

I clapped for Manta's attention, then held out my bowl to him with one hand while signing with the other. _'Seconds?'_


	15. Faust VIII

**DISCLAIMER: Shaman King is not mine.**

_Okay, this might be the last regular update for a while: I signed up for NaNoWriMo :D It'll be my frist time, so wish me luck! And, what else would I write for NaNoWriMo than a Shaman King fic! :D I'm actually very excited for it; the plot is actually pretty fresh compared to this story (although I'm not entirely sure about _everything _yet). Once the month is over, I'll edit the new story and post it. :P_

_Not much to say about this chapter- I could have written it better. We see Faust, who's never really been my favorite (seeing skeletons run around and a guy sticking his hand in Manta's stomach isn't something that I really wanted to see when I was seven - what can I say, I was an odd child). I don't really like what Nix does in this chapter, but really, Nix is really a stick-to-the-rules character - I don't expand on him much, but it's really eating him up that Tori is going against their rules, but he doesn't think that's he can do anything at this point._

_I'll try to update once a week in November if I feel I have the time, but my first priority will probably be NaNoWriMo. Besides, I really needed to slow down with the updates on Muffled anyway- I've uploaded half of what I've written already, and that makes me nervous - I want to have it all done before I get close to updating the last chapter, at least._

Normal text and "speaking," _thought, 'signing and mouthing,' **'telepathy.'**_

_Enjoy!_

**Fifteen: Faust VIII**

In the days that followed, I could only be found at the En Inn during breakfast, dinner, or when I was asleep, which was at random intervals during the day. I saw match after match, but definitely not all of them. Anna, almost surprisingly, didn't give me any grief about it, but I could tell that Yoh wasn't happy, although he said nothing.

I found it much easier to be passive about the fights when I didn't know the contenders personally. Tao Ren had a match, but I didn't go to see it. Instead, I went to watch another match, one between a shaman and a necromancer called Faust VIII. I feel extremely guilty about it, but as soon as his opponent lost oversoul, I left so that I didn't have to see Faust completely obliterate him.

Tonight, I was gulping down my rice with Yoh, Manta, HoroHoro and Anna. There was a pretty cheerful mood tonight, and I tried to enjoy it while it lasted. My dreams lately had been full of blood and screams and evil laughs and eyes…

HoroHoro made a comment, and I, realizing that I hadn't been listening, looked up just in time to see Manta stomp his foot on the table. "Hey! Why are you here?"

HoroHoro laughed. "It's all right, isn't it? We're neighbors, after all."

"That's right," Yoh agreed with a smile. "Food tastes better with company."

I nodded, albeit a little absent-mindedly. Tonight I'd have to sneak out again, and it was tiring to do so.

"I'm full," HoroHoro commented once the meal was over, pouring himself some more tea. "That Pirika though," he grumbled. "Every other word is training, training. I can't even relax to have a meal. I mean, I only have to beat two more people. Doesn't she believe in my strength? And she makes these crazy training routines!"

Was HoroHoro here just to gripe? Because I sure wasn't in the mood. I was so tired lately. I couldn't wait till these matches were over and I could have three months of peace at Patch Village before the Shaman Fight continued. Three months of peace, and then…

As HoroHoro continued to mumble, Anna stood and left the table. She had the right idea, but I didn't want to get up. I wanted to be lazy, even if it was going to cost me my ears.

"I found you!"

HoroHoro, who had been taking a sip of tea, spit out the steaming liquid unintentionally into my face. He turned to the window in fright before attempting to run away.

"I won't let you get away!" Pirika called, throwing a net into the room and pulling HoroHoro in like a fish.

A little peeved, I wiped the tea off of my face and followed Yoh and Manta outside to watch Pirika drag HoroHoro back to their campsite.

"Don't worry about these trivial things!" HoroHoro was arguing, looking most like a worm when he was trapped in the net.

"That's right," Yoh agreed. "It'll be okay."

Both HoroHoro and Pirika looked up at Yoh, who continued. "Things always work out in the end."

Pirika started shaking in anger. "What's that?" she asked the ground, her voice dangerously low. "Don't say irresponsible things like that." She looked up, her eyes beginning to tear up. "You ruined our dream."

Yoh backed up. "What?"

Pirika pointed at him. "Asakura Yoh, I'll never forgive you," she vowed before pulling HoroHoro away.

I looked sideways at Yoh. He looked genuinely sad.

"Yoh!" HoroHoro called. "Don't think too much about what she said, okay?"

Yoh gave a forced smile. "Yeah…"

"See ya!" HoroHoro called before Pirika dragged him out of sight beyond the front gate.

There was silence.

()()()()()()()

I paced around my room. Pirika had said something totally uncalled for. Hers and HoroHoro's dream wasn't 'ruined' yet, and she had to realize that only one shaman's dream was going to come true. Everyone else's was going to be crushed. It was a fact of life.

I stopped pacing and gave a voiceless sigh. Who was I to judge Pirika? I wasn't even in the Tournament. I only had one job to do, really. I could never win the Shaman Fights. I wasn't allowed to. I never brought my hopes up about a dream because I never had the opportunity.

Of course, I was honored to have this debt.

I gave another breathy sigh and grabbed my bag and headed downstairs. I was about to turn the corner and head towards the front door when I suddenly ran into Anna. She grabbed my arm and pulled me along with her towards the onsen, and I almost began to panic.

She put me at the side where I couldn't look into the onsen (not that I wanted to) and opened the door. "Your next match has been decided," Anna told Yoh (or at least, I assumed it was him, I wasn't going to look in there). "Next Sunday. The place is Chokohama Foreigner Cemetery."

She threw Yoh's Oracle Bell inside the onsen, and the lack of splash must've meant that Yoh caught it. I strained my ears to listen.

"Faust VIII," Yoh read.

In that instant, I decided against going to watch matches tonight.

"You just have to beat that guy," Anna said. "Please finish this and pass the preliminaries. It's a pain following you every fight."

Suddenly, I heard Manta scream. "How could you enter a men's bath so easily?"

I saw Anna's eyes move a little bit. "Do you have something you don't want seen?"

()()()()()()()()

I hadn't relaxed the slightest bit when Sunday came. This time, I was sitting in the rain right beside Yoh and Manta on the cemetery steps. Manta had his sweatshirt hood over his head, while I had to keep my bag over my head while I huddled next to Yoh under an old newspaper. Normally, I might've stopped myself from coming this close to him (I was trying to put distance between our friendship, after all) but I knew who was coming. Plus, I hated getting wet.

Yoh sneezed. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit to protect his battle outfit from the rain (as by orders of Anna). "How far did Anna go to buy an umbrella?"

"Why didn't you bring at least one umbrella?" Manta asked.

"Yesterday's weather forecast didn't mention rain," Yoh explained, looking as downcast as the clouds.

"Aren't weather forecasts supposed to be checked on the day in question?" Manta asked, looking annoyed at Yoh's words.

"Oh…," Yoh breathed.

"I wonder what kind of person he is," Manta continued.

If only they didn't have to find out…

"Huh?" Yoh asked.

"Faust VIII. Today's opponent," Manta clarified.

"I don't know," Yoh replied.

"I wonder what his fighting style is."

_He's a necromancer _I wanted to say, to sign, to communicate. _He'll have so much power in this graveyard. He'll kill you. _I wanted to go against my instructions so much, I wanted to warn Yoh, I wanted him to forfeit the match. But I had to act ignorant… The best I could hope to do was swoop in once Yoh had been defeated and get him away from Faust.

I really should've had more faith in my friend to beat Faust, but the odds were against him. And I wasn't even supposed to _have _faith!

"I wonder why he wants to become the Shaman King," Manta continued.

"We'll find out when we fight," Yoh answered.

"You're not curious?" Manta asked.

"It'll all work out," Yoh replied. He adjusted his headphones, and the faint sound of music reached my ears as he listened.

Amidamaru appeared behind us. "If there are a hundred people, then there are a hundred different dreams." He sounded like he was quoting someone; I supposed I missed something while Yoh and Manta were in the onsen, but I was all right with that. "That is what you said, Manta-dono."

Oh. Manta said that. But still, Faust wasn't going to let Yoh stand in his way of winning the Tournament. He wouldn't let him stand at all if he got his way.

"Even if you speculate about someone you don't know, you won't understand anything," Amidamaru continued. "That's why Yoh-dono fights and tries to understand their true feelings."

I thought about Pailong. Yoh hadn't given up then, and I had a feeling that even if I did plead for Yoh to forfeit, he wouldn't do it. Yoh was lazy, but he wasn't a quitter, especially on people. Even people as despicable as Tao Ren…

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I jerked my head around to see a figure standing on the steps above us. His shamanic energy wasn't necessarily strong, but it was deadly and reeked of death…

Yoh, Manta, and I stood and went off to the side of the foot of the steps, and the man walked down and set his bag on the ground. Faust was dressed in a grey overcoat and hat, with a bright orange scarf and large rubber boots.

His face was hidden under his hat. "Asakura Yoh-kun, I presume?" His voice was quiet….

"Hai," Yoh answered, looking a little confused. "That's me."

Faust VIII took off his hat and smiled, revealing his purple lips and baggy eyes. "Hi, nice to meet you. I am today's opponent, Faust VIII. Please be gentle."

My eyes widened, but I quickly put on a confused face. Even before the match began, he was using trickery.

"Uh…" Yoh threw the newspaper off of his head. "Pleased to meet you."

Faust was smiling. "I'm glad. I was wondering what I'd do if you were a scary person."

If I wasn't so scared for Yoh, I might've been sick.

Manta didn't look impressed. "Is this person really a shaman?" he muttered.

"He really screws with a person's rhythm," Yoh added.

Amidamaru suddenly appeared behind us. "You mustn't let your guard down, Yoh-dono!" he warned.

Yoh and Manta stiffened, but I was already far ahead of them.

"This man has an unnatural smell of death," Amidamaru continued.

Faust just kept smiling.

"The smell of death you emit," Amidamaru went on, "cannot be hidden no matter how hard you try."

Faust smiled again. "It's not my intention to deceive you. Of course the smell of death is stained upon me." He pulled off his overcoat, revealing the skeleton chained to his arm. It had a bullet hole in its skull. "I am a necromancer."

"A necromancer…?" Yoh repeated.

"I think it's people who use necromancy, the ability to control the dead," Manta explained.

"Exactly," Faust VIII agreed. "I oversoul the souls of the dead into their corpses." He put his hand up to the skeleton, and its eye sockets glowed red for a moment. "This is the relic that I used to make my spirit physical."

The rain had officially soaked my hair by now, but I didn't notice.

"Huh?" Manta exclaimed. "Your name! It isn't _Dr. _Faust, is it?"

"Dr. Faust?" Yoh was confused.

Faust smiled. "Oh? I'm surprised that you know. Yes. In fact, I'm his descendant. Five hundred years ago, the genius scholar who was said to have mastered everything from alchemy to magic. He was also a necromancer. Now with the knowledge passed down from my ancestors, I have gained his power."

Manta was gaping, and I was stiff as a board, remembering the tales of Faust I. Any moment now, the battle could start even before the official bell sounded…

"Wow, that's amazing," Yoh commented, calm as ever. It was pissing me off; I was so scared for him.

"This isn't good, Yoh-kun!" Manta insisted. "Dr. Faust is a legendary necromancer, he's been said to have wielded the power of demons! If he has that person's power…"

Yoh grinned. "Oh! He's wearing a white coat because he's a descendant of a scholar!"

If I wasn't so afraid of him dying, I could have smacked Yoh.

Manta almost fell over. "That has nothing to do with anything!" he screeched.

"That's exactly right." Faust had attracted our attentions again with another smile, holding the skeleton close. "I was a doctor. As a doctor, I felt the happiness of saving many lives-" (_And now you enjoy destroying them, _I thought) "-but… In the end… I wasn't able to beat the thing called death. I wasn't able to bring back the dead. But someday I will find the answer to overcoming death." He pulled the face of the skeleton close to his own. "By any means necessary."

_Just ask Hao, _I wanted to screech at him. _I might be unable to move on to the afterlife, but that's not of my choosing. Hao can come and go as he pleases. Leave us and go ask him._

There was a slight pause, and Manta attempted to ease the tension. "I don't think it's possible to overcome death."

Faust suddenly glared, gritting his teeth. "What?" he exclaimed, outraged. He began to tremble in anger. "Saying it's impossible! Don't say it so easily."

There was a sudden bluish light, and his skeleton stood. "I won't forgive anyone who makes fun of my research!" Faust vowed. The skeleton's eye sockets suddenly glowed red, and began walking forward.

Immediately, Yoh and I stood in front of Manta. "Stop it!" Yoh pleaded, unnerved. "Manta didn't mean any harm by what he said!"

"Yoh-kun… Tori-kun…" Manta thanked us for standing up for him, though I could tell he was frightened.

Faust raised an eyebrow. He smirked. "All right. I'll forgive you." He raised his arms. "But in return, you will help me in my research in figuring out life's true nature."

"What?" Yoh asked.

"Lost souls," Faust chanted, "hear my voice! Now, for one time, I will give you the chance to return to your bodies!"

There was a sort of rattling sound, and we looked around in confusion.

"_Bones!_" Manta screeched, and Yoh and I turned to see two skeletons running off, swinging Manta between them. Immediately, I started to run after him; I managed to just barely touch his sneaker before I was suddenly being restrained by a handful of skeletons.

I struggled against them as Manta was strapped to a headstone. _Manta, Manta! _I wished I could scream. I needed Nix, I had to help Manta!

'_**Nix, Nix!' **_I called out for my spirit, and after a moment he appeared. He looked at me as I struggled against the skeletal hands that held me, but he didn't move.

'_**Nix! Help me! We have to save Manta!'**_

Nix eyed me with something I had never seen before from him; distrust. _**'I must not help you. You could end up having to hurt Faust. We are supposed to be neutral at all times. Have you forgotten that?'**_

'_**Damn it, Nix, I don't care right now!' **_I swore at him. I couldn't believe the phoenix. We'd been together forever, but he'd never disobeyed me like this! We were friends!

Suddenly, I heard Manta screech, and I looked up to see that Faust's hand, which was glowing, was also somehow inserted into Manta's stomach…

"Stop!" I heard Yoh scream. "Faust! Manta isn't involved in this fight!"

"It's okay," Faust said to Manta. "There's no pain. Oops!" he said as Manta cried out in hurt. "I'm sorry." I watched helplessly as he slid his hand up toward Manta's heart.

'_**Nix! I don't care about neutrality right now, merge with me!' **_When he did nothing, I continued. _**'I'm the shaman, damn it, and you're the spirit! Listen to me!'**_

"I'll save you right now!" Yoh called, struggling desperately against the skeletons that held him. "Manta!"

"It's no use," Faust explained. "You can't escape from my bones."

"Yoh-kun…," Manta whimpered.

Faust leaned in toward Manta. "Oh? Your breathing is irregular." He shifted his hands, and Manta cried in pain again.

'_**Nix!' **_I resorted to pleading, tears of frustration mixing with the rain. _**'Please! I can't let Manta die!'**_

Nix didn't do anything.

Suddenly, Yoh screamed, and threw off the skeletons that were holding him before he ran towards the one that held Harusame and decapitated it. I, who had been struggling against my confines a moment before, was stunned into stillness, but I was still trembling with fear and anger.

Faust narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the skull at his feet before turning to Yoh. "No way. My bone prison was broken."

Yoh was hunched over, glaring at Faust; a perfect mirror of Hao at his scariest.

Faust accepted a scythe from a skeleton. "Anyone who disturbs my path, I will kill!" He stabbed the weapon into the ground. "Those who haven't shown yourselves until now! Listen to my command, and revive! My minions, make that child into bones! _Bone dead reborn!"_

Suddenly, the graves around us seemed to explode, and fiery-looking bones dropped down onto Yoh and Amidamaru, the force of the blast whipping at my soaked hair.

I stared at the massive pile of bones, my eyes wide. Yoh… He…he couldn't have…

Faust laughed manically. "How unsatisfying! Asakura Yoh!" He paused, turning to Manta. "Well, I'll make this child a real experiment…" He turned to me. "And then I'll start on you."

Suddenly, there was a blinding light, and I squeezed my eyes shut to block it out. The ground trembled. When I opened my eyes, I saw Yoh walking out of the wreckage, Amidamaru oversouled into Harusame.

He walked up to Faust and glared, pointing his weapon at the necromancer. "I will not forgive you, Faust VIII!"


	16. Eliza

**DISCLAIMER: Shaman King isn't mine.**

_What a surprise - I'm procrastinating. Only wrote about 468 words or so for NaNoWriMo so far today. Still have an hour till bedtime. Maybe I can do it... Or continue watching the English dub... I don't wanna fall behind on word count, though D8 Oh well... I'll try._

_**Very uber cool note: new Latin word to study that I am very sure I will always remember: silva (pronounced sil-wa)- woods, forest, ect**. Shaman King shall forever haunt me. I believe Christmas vacation shall mark the one year since I fully watched it. In that time, I've watched it once in English, once in Japanese, and am currently rewatching the English till I get up to the point where I am in the Japanese and will alternate while continuing to write this. Am I obsessed much? Yes, yes I am. Quite sad, really - I love this anime so much that I choose to watch it over and over rather than watch a new one (though I am watching Sailor Moon right now too... I've watched so few animes so far, this is probably the most 'famous' I've seen)._

_Slightly shorter chapter today, folks. Next one should be longer if I remember right. Don't know when that will be up - I have a busy week next week, going on a four-day vacation to visit family, I'll lug along my giant-ass laptop and my numerous notebooks (hehe... alliteration... I think NaNoWriMo's already getting to me, and I've only written about 6.5k words so far in total - it's actually really getting to me, I'm still rambling!)._

_One last thing: LEEENNNYYYYYYYYY!_

Normal text and "speaking," _thought, 'signing and mouthing,' **'telepathy.'**_

_Enjoy!_

**Sixteen: Eliza**

Faust and Yoh stared each other down across the soon-to-be battlefield, surveying each other. Yoh held his oversoul at the ready, while Faust's skeleton held his scythe.

I hadn't been abandoned by Faust's skeletons, but I didn't think I could move even if they were gone. Yoh was going to die… Manta was going to die… Because I couldn't get my spirit to help me. I wouldn't attack Faust (at least, I don't think I would…), but I'd save Manta, and then at least Yoh wouldn't have to worry about us and could focus solely on the battle. But now, Nix wasn't even responding to me…

Yoh stomped on a bone, snapping it into two. "Let go of Manta and Tori!"

Faust chuckled and held Manta's jaw in his hand. "How scary… This is an experiment for medical science, yet…" He chuckled again.

"Let him go!" Yoh screeched, rushing forward.

Faust surveyed him coolly and snapped his fingers.

Immediately, the skeletons that Yoh had destroyed reconstructed themselves and surrounded him.

"I told you not to interfere with my research," said Faust. He turned back to Manta. "Well, let's continue with an examination of the brain." He reached his hand toward Manta's face…

'_**Nix!' **_I pleaded. I struggled against the skeletons again. Nix did nothing but look at me with sadness.

"Stop it!" Yoh shrieked. He slashed at the skeletons, turning them back into piles of rubble, but they just reformed. "Get out of my way!"

Faust's hand was glowing again as it neared Manta's head. "I will first pierce through the cranium and reach the inner membrane. Further down, I will reach the nerve cells of the frontal lobe in the cerebral cortex. In short, the part that controls your feelings." His hand slid into Manta's head, and the boy screamed.

"Manta!" Yoh screeched. I wanted to screech too. I wanted to yell, I wanted to escape these skeletons and get Manta away from all of this…

I looked up at the sky in despair. This was hopeless… Faust was going to kill us all.

I blinked against the rain, and suddenly I saw Silva appear at the top of the cemetery hill. My eyes caught his, and I mentally screamed at him. _**'Make this stop, Silva! Yoh is going to die! Manta is going to die!'**_

Silva's face was grave. _**'Not until one of them loses can I step in. The official match hasn't started yet, but it will soon.'**_

I hung my head. While I wasn't struggling, the skeletons kept a firm grip on me, preventing me from any sort of escape. Luckily, none of their hands were near my mark, or else I'd have been silently screeching. That would just make it all worse.

"What's wrong?" Faust asked Yoh. "You look pretty exhausted."

Yoh was panting.

Faust held up his Oracle Bell. "The real fight is about to start. Three."

Yoh, exhausted, held up his oversoul.

"Two."

"Hold on, Manta, Tori," Yoh hissed through gritted teeth. "I'll save you soon."

"One. Fight!"

"After I defeat him!" Yoh dashed forward, straight towards Faust, jumping into the air to slash down at him, only to be blocked by Faust's main skeleton, which held up the scythe in defense. The skeleton pushed outward, sending Yoh flying backwards. Luckily, he flipped and managed to land on his feet.

"You can't win," Faust goaded.

Yoh pointed his katana at Faust. "Shut up-" Suddenly, he fell to his knee; his oversoul was now just a tiny flame on his sword. "I… I don't have any strength left…" He spoke through gritted teeth.

I wanted to do something. I wanted to help. But without Nix, I couldn't get free. And I wasn't allowed to interfere… Oh, but I wanted to. I wanted to go up to Faust and strangle him for what he was doing to Manta.

"Looks like you're suffering…" Faust continued.

"…Shut up…," Yoh hissed.

Faust chuckled. "Trying to surpass one's limit is bad for the body, you know."

"Shut up…," Yoh repeated; I looked up so see him struggle to his feet.

"Still going to fight?" Faust asked. He patted Manta's hair. "I'd like to continue my research, though."

"Stop it!" Yoh insisted, blocking an attack from Faust's main skeleton.

"You're pretty stupid," Faust noted. His hand glowed again and he stuck it into Manta's throat.

"Manta!" Yoh struggled against the skeleton's scythe before it kneed him in his stomach and he fell down onto the ground. "D-damn it…"

"Looks like you can't fight anymore," Faust said. His skeleton pointed the scythe at Yoh. "You lose. You don't have to be mortified by it. I am the one who will become the Shaman King. It's no surprise that you lost to me." Faust opened his eyes. "I am going to be the Shaman King so that I may revive my beloved wife, Eliza!"

"Wife…?" Yoh repeated.

"That's right," Faust agreed. "Eliza, the only woman I ever loved. A beautiful woman who had an incurable disease."

Faust went on to describe how he had first met Eliza when they were children, how they had fallen in love, how Eliza had died, and how he became a necromancer. I couldn't truly listen, however. I was hopeless. I was just waiting for this to end.

"There was something odd written in Faust the First's literature…" Faust continued. "The Shaman Fight that takes place every five hundred years. If I can win this fight, I can bring Eliza back. Not just her appearance, but the _real _Eliza back to life!" He balled his hands up into fists. "That is why I _will _become the Shaman King. I won't let anyone interfere."

There was a pause, and suddenly Faust called, "Eliza!"

Faust's main skeleton - the one with the bullet hole in its head, Eliza - swung down the scythe to chop at Yoh, who rolled out of the way just in time. Weakly, he got to his feet. "You made Manta suffer. I won't… I won't forgive you!"

"For a friend?" Faust asked. "How wonderful," he chuckled. "But that will cost you your life!"

Eliza's skeleton rose into the air and floated back to Faust. Faust snapped his fingers, and suddenly the skeletons surrounding Yoh disintegrated. The skeletons that held me also collapsed into piles, and I grabbed Nix before he could do anything and oversouled him into my feather, causing wings to grow out of my back; for now, I staunched the flow of furyoku and kept them small.

'_**I am the shaman, Nix,' **_I hissed to him mentally, _**'and I make the choices. I am not stupid. I will help Manta if he needs it. I will help Yoh if he needs it. But I will wait for the match to be over. I have long lost my neutrality, and I will not be regaining it soon. You are my friend, Nix. Show you are and stick with me through this.'**_

Nix was not happy in the slightest, but he grumbled a response of assent back to me.

I stood up, but kept back as Faust and Yoh stood across from each other.

"_Revive! Eliza!" _Faust cried, feeding furyoku to his wife so that her skeleton glowed and the form of a beautiful woman with long, golden hair stood in its place; an oversoul.

"Let me introduce you to her," Faust continued. "This is my beloved Eliza." He giggled. "This is the technique of a necromancer, the art of reviving the dead." He leaned close to Eliza's face; with my keen eyesight, I saw that her eyes were listless. "By using the soul as a base, this rare and perfect beauty shall come back even more vividly. I'm counting on you, Eliza," he murmured to her.

I couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for Faust. This wasn't a woman with a soul, it was a lifeless oversoul.

The pity was short-lived, however, when Eliza came forward and stabbed Yoh with the butt of the weapon, sending him flying backward onto the ground. He managed to stumble back onto his feet, but Eliza slashed at him, and he was forced to block her attacks as she repeatedly attempted to hit him.

Faust was back to torturing Manta. I made a step forward, but stopped. I couldn't go forward without interfering with the battle…

"You've used your full strength too much in such a short period of time," Faust said calmly, as if having a hand inside Manta's chest was as usual as drinking tea. "You should be at your limit."

Eliza slashed Yoh's sword, and he barely managed to duck out of the way as she swung at his head. He jumped, slashing at her, but she caught the attack easily on her arm. It caused her nearly no damage.

"It's impossible," Faust continued. "There's no oversoul left in your katana."

Yoh jumped back, out of range of Eliza's attacks.

"Only an oversoul can break an oversoul!" Faust reminded him. "With your furyoku right now, you can't even defeat my delicate, beloved Eliza."

Yoh said nothing and just readied himself for another attack.

"You still don't understand?" Faust asked. "That this is a wasted effort?"

Eliza slashed again, but Yoh held the attack at a standstill. He managed to deflect it, and jumped backwards again.

"My, my…," Faust went on. "You're still going to try your best…?" His hand, around Manta's neck, glowed again.

"Manta!" Yoh exclaimed, seeing Faust strangle the boy. "Stop it! Let go of Manta!"

Faust laughed. "What are you going to do now? Defeat Eliza and stop defenseless old me by force?" He smirked. "How about that?" He shifted his hand, and Manta let out a moan.

"Manta!" I cried, my vocal chords scratching my throat. I took a step forward, but Faust saw me.

His eyes narrowed. "Stay out of this. This is between me and Yoh." He made Manta groan in pain again.

I stopped.

"Let go of Manta!" Yoh dashed forward, the oversoul on his katana terribly small, and Eliza brought her scythe around; Yoh just barely managed to block it before the strain on his body sent him to the ground, gasping.

"The sound of three ribs breaking…," Faust noted. "Guess you can't get up in that condition."

Yoh leaned on his sword. "Let go of Manta…," he hissed.

"Eliza!" Faust's eyes were wide. "Finish him!"

Eliza raised her weapon and swung it down, but Yoh blocked it again.

"My…," Faust breathed, sounding amused. "You're still going to try? You sure are stupid!"

"Let go of Manta…," Yoh repeated through his teeth.

"How long are you going to babble about that?" Faust asked. "You still think you can win against Eliza?"

Yoh struggled against Eliza. "I won't lose… to a doll like this!" he cried, managing to push Eliza back. "Let go of Manta!" he repeated dangerously.

Faust was shaking. "What did you say?" He withdrew his hand from Manta. "A doll? You called my Eliza a _doll_? You! I won't forgive you!" he screeched.

Without warning, Eliza slashed, and Yoh deflected the attack, causing the pavement behind him to crack.

"Eliza is… my beloved Eliza is a _doll_?" Faust was raging now. "There is a limit to how much you can insult someone!"

Eliza kept slashing at Yoh, who kept having to block the attacks. Faust was screaming the word 'unforgivable,' over and over again, his attention solely on destroying Yoh.

I could have dashed forward to save Manta, but my feet weren't moving. My eyes were glued to Yoh, who was under constant assault.

"_Try to say it again_!" Faust dared. "How could a child like you understand? My wife… my sadness from losing her! You could _never _understand!"

One of Eliza's attacks missed, destroying the pavement next to Yoh. She continued the attack, forcing Yoh to back up. But while she was doing this, her form flickered back to her skeleton for an instant. Faust's furyoku was beginning to deplete…

Just as hope began to rise in my chest, Yoh fell, and Amidamaru was forced out of the oversoul state as Eliza's attack hit the pavement.

Yoh had lost.

As the smoke cleared, I saw Yoh lying on the ground next to a massive crack in the pavement.

"The sin of insulting me…," Faust continued as Eliza reverted back to her skeletal form. "The sin of insulting Eliza… Those are unforgivable sins… Atone for them with your death!"

Suddenly, a massive structure of a skull and bones, many, many times the size of normal, erupted from the ground with Faust at the top. I dashed forward and plucked Manta from the headstone, dashing back towards Yoh as Silva flew overhead. I stood in front of Yoh with my wings spread wide, a nearly unconscious Manta in my arms.

"_Die, _Asakura Yoh!" Faust cried as the giant skeleton swung its fist.

Suddenly, there was a great sound of a horse neighing, and also someone crying out as a yellow light enveloped the monster skeleton, splintering it apart and causing massive amounts of dust to fly everywhere.

"_Golden Chuuka Zanmai!"_

_No…_

Suddenly, the horse I had heard was beside us. In pure astonishment, I lost my oversoul.

"The bones were too fragile," Tao Ren noted from where he sat atop his steed. "Looks like they didn't drink enough milk in their previous lives. I drink three bottles a day."

Tao Ren… Chrom… I could feel my arms shaking against Manta's form. I swore, if Ren as much as looked me in the eyes, I would slay him right then and there…

"I won't let him kill you," Ren promised Yoh, turning to him with an evilly gleeful smirk. "Because you're my next opponent."


	17. Yoh Leaves, Ryu Returns

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King, only Tori, Nix, and Tai. If I did... Well. Do you think I'd be writing this?**

_This'll have to suffice for the story's two-month anniversary coming up on the 14th. I'm going on a mini-vacation for the rest of the week, though I'll lug along my laptop, purely for NaNoWriMo purposes. It's coming along pretty good - I need to write at least 3k to stay on time, though, I'm not going to have a lot of time to write for the next few days. So, that means no studying for math! Not that it matters anyway, I get the material better than anyone else in the class . Sad people._

_Anyways, there's actually no mention of Ren in this chapter (T.T), and the begining part is much better than the ending in my opinion, but oh well. *pokes Ren* Why couldn't I include you in here? *sigh* Tori hates you in here, and I'm giving you such a hard time in my NaNo novel. Could this be seen as character torture? Spousal abuse...? Oh wait *blushes* Ren's not my hubby... yet. XD_

_Ren: ...You are insane._

_That I am, Ren. That I am. NaNoWriMo is changing the composition of my brain. But it's all for the better!_

Normal text and "speaking," _thought, 'signing and mouthing,' "flashback-y," **'telepathy, but there's none in this chapter.'**_

**Seventeen: Yoh Leaves, Ryu Returns**

"_Please don't leave him while we're in Izumo."_

I blinked, realizing that I had almost nodded off. It was so quiet here, and I had been emotionally drained from the match, though that had paled significantly in light of Yoh's wounds and loss.

"_Make sure nothing happens to him."_

I had slept only very little, and I was sure there were bags under my eyes. Nix wasn't anywhere to be seen, but I knew he was nearby. I hadn't talked to him yet about what he had done, but we were going to. Eventually.

Suddenly, there was a noise, and I looked to see Manta sitting up, awake. I let out a soundless sigh of relief. He saw me and looked at me in confusion. He was about to open his mouth when Silva interrupted him.

"It seems like you regained your consciousness," he said, walking over. I, for one, was grateful that he was here. He would be able to explain better than me.

Manta looked over. "You're…"

"I am Silva, one of the officiating priests who manage the Shaman Fight," Silva explained. When Manta didn't speak, he continued. "You were thrown into a fight between Faust and Asakura Yoh, then we brought you to this hospital."

Manta gasped, remembering.

"…I heard you barely have any wounds," Silva went on. "I am partly responsible for this happening. I apologize from the bottom of my heart."

Manta didn't seem to hear him. "The match… What happened to Yoh?"

Silva bowed his head and kept silent.

Manta jumped off his bed and ran out into the hallway. Without hesitation, I hurried after him.

He slammed open the door of Yoh's room. "Yoh-kun!"

I stood just in sight of the three serious faces inside. Amidamaru was silent, Anna kept quiet while she sliced the skin off of an apple, and Yoh was sitting in his cot, looking straight at Manta. They had been waiting.

"_No matter what, just… don't leave him."_

Manta, unnerved, was about to speak, but Yoh interrupted him. "I lost the match."

Manta reeled back slightly at Yoh's tone, and I almost did as well.

"Faust won twice already and went on to the main Tournament," Yoh continued quietly.

"I heard that from Silva-san," Manta agreed, head bowed in shame. "Sorry… it's my fault…"

"Yeah. Seriously."

There was a slight gasp and Manta looked up at Yoh.

"You kept standing in my way," Yoh accused. "And for that reason, my dream is in great danger."

"Y-Yoh-kun…"

"Go away," Yoh commanded harshly. "You're not a friend or anything anymore."

Manta backed up like he had been dealt a physical blow, and it took something of me to hear the tears in his voice. "Y-you're not…serious, are you?"

"I'm not going to be your friend anymore!"

Manta backed up slowly, and then ran off, crying.

I looked after him, and then back at Yoh. He was staring at me.

'_I promise,' _I signed to him.

He nodded slightly then bowed his head. Before I left, I saw tears fall from his eyes.

()()()()()()()()()()

I watched as Yoh, Anna, and Amidamaru left the En Inn. They had locked it once I insisted that I would not be using it while they were gone. I never tried, but it's impossible for just one person to live in that house.

I had to give all my time to Manta, anyway. While he was at school, I'd see some matches, yes, but I wouldn't leave him alone after that. I promised.

()()()()()()()()()

Manta was extremely quiet. I'd walked with him after school, I'd sat with him on Funbari Hill next to Amidamaru's absent gravestone, I'd walked past the museum with him where Harusame was held, even wandered through the streets with him. He was lost without Yoh. His head was always down, and he rarely spoke.

That was, until we walked to Yoh's house.

"Stupid, stupid!" Manta cursed himself, flailing. "You're so stupid, Oyamada Manta! Yoh-kun and I aren't friends anymore! Why did I come here?" He stopped flailing and just looked at the house. "Seriously… I am stupid."

I knelt down beside him and hugged him. He didn't really return it, but I heard him mumble a thank you in reply as I pulled away and stood.

Suddenly, there was a screeching of tires, and I jumped backwards, but Manta just fell over. In front of us sat a motorcycle with none other than Ryu sitting atop it.

I blinked. His energy was… incredibly shamanic now.

"Long time no see," he greeted us.

"Who… who is this, Tori-kun?" Manta stuttered.

"Aw, you're so coldhearted," Ryu accused good-naturedly, pulling off his helmet to reveal his growing hair that looked incredibly… odd. "Did you forget about me already?"

There was the slightest moment of silence before recognition flared in Manta's eyes. "Bokotou no Ryu!"

Ryu got off his bike and stood over Manta (he might've gone to me first, but after one too many hits in the place where it hurts, he'd stopped giving me those perverted winks of his). "You're going into Master Yoh's house, right?" He plucked Manta from the ground with one hand. "Let's all go together!"

"Hey, _hey!_" Manta cried as I followed him and Ryu to the front door.

Ryu looked at the note taped to the front door. "'We're going to be away from home for a while'? 'Please don't deliver newspaper and milk.'" Ryu's mouth was gaping. "What the hell is this?"

Tears started streaming down Manta's eyes. "Yoh-kun got tired of this town… Because I'm around."

"Hey… what happened, Manta?" Ryu asked. Suddenly, he pointed a finger at me. "If no one lives here, where do you live?"

I blinked, realizing that I hadn't thought of that. Yoh hadn't even been gone a day. I guess I would've gotten a hotel room, but those were expensive… I shrugged.

Ryu raised an eyebrow then turned back to Manta. "What happened?"

()()()()()()()

"Baka!" Ryu scoffed. "There's no way Yoh would break a friendship with you."

We sat on a park bench, Manta between Ryu and I. Ryu was an… okay guy, but I still wasn't sitting next to him.

"But even though I always met with Yoh-kun every day," Manta continued, "I don't know anything about Yoh-kun. Like his birthday, what his parents do, and much more, like his true feelings. There's no way I can understand."

Right then, I realized that I must register Manta not only as a friend but as a puppy, because I wanted to hug him even though he probably wouldn't like it right at this moment. He felt like he had been truly abandoned by Yoh, though that wasn't the real case. Anna, on the other hand, had invited me to come to Izumo with them, but I had refused. Even before Yoh had asked me, I couldn't leave Manta.

I also couldn't really leave the matches behind, technically, but that hadn't been running through my mind at the time.

"Is that okay with you?" Ryu asked Manta.

"What?"

"Don't you want to find out Master Yoh's true feelings?" Ryu continued.

"But Yoh-kun isn't around here anymore," Manta mumbled despairingly.

"Then why don't you find him?" Ryu suggested. "Or do you not care about Master Yoh anymore?"

"I…" Manta's voice suddenly turned determined. "I…"

()()()()()()()()()

I found myself sitting in the sidecar of Ryu's motorcycle (luckily, it was a two-seat sidecar - no way in hell would I sit with Ryu. I might've let Manta sit in my lap or something, but that would've been so awkward it wouldn't even be funny). Like Manta, I had a helmet with a pair of goggles to protect my eyes, as well as a helmet.

Nix wasn't at all happy, but he said nothing. I had promised that I wouldn't leave Manta, and I was keeping that promise.

"Motorcycle makes an appearance!" Ryu called to no one in particular. "This motorcycle is high quality. Let's go!" He started off down the road.

"Let's go? But where to?" Manta asked.

Ryu stopped the motorcycle. "Where should I go?" he asked frankly.

"Don't start riding when you don't know the destination!" Manta scolded. He turned to me in the back of the sidecar. "Tori-kun, did they tell you where they were going?"

Yes… _'They said they were going to train.'_

Manta sat back down in his seat and thought for a moment. "Izumo…"

"Huh?" Ryu asked.

Manta was such a genius. "Before Yoh-kun moved here, he lived in Izumo. I think he moved back there."

"All right!" Ryu called. "The two of us gentlemen and a lady, on a journey to Izumo!" He took off.

This was going to be so much fun…

()()()()()()()()()

"Blue sky is in the sun," Ryu sang. "My scorching road, and I am burnt as well. Ahh ahhhhh! Motorcycle makes an appearance…"

I tried to block out the song. I'd interrupt him if I could, but that was impossible. We'd been on the road for hours…

"Yay! It's really the best!" Ryu continued.

I looked around, trying to find some way to occupy myself on this boring and annoying trip. I cast out my senses, and looked back sharply.

There was a red car following us… and there were shamans inside.

()()()()()()()()()

Ryu stretched when we made it to the rest stop. "We ran and ran… C'mon, let's eat dinner."

I was stretching as well (my legs had been horribly cramped from sitting in the sidecar for most of the frigging day) but stopped when I saw Manta looking forlorn.

"What? You're already tired?" Ryu asked. "What a slacker," he teased. "We still have a long way to go."

"Ryu-san…," Manta said. "Do you have something that you want to do?"

"Why are you asking this all of a sudden?" Ryu inquired. When Manta was silent, he turned away slightly and got an extremely devilish look on his face that I was instantly afraid of. He opened his mouth to speak, and then caught sight of me and stuttered, "W-well, I want to find my Shaman Queen."

I knew what he wanted to say would get him a kick below the belt, and I was both relieved that he didn't say it and also nerve wracked that he didn't. Note to self: if I make it out of this alive, never, _never _go anywhere alone with Ryu.

Manta looked at him in confusion, and then sighed. "I envy you, Ryu-san, for being so simple." He turned to me. "What about you? Why are you in the Shaman Fight?"

Give everyone a voice… that was what I had told Yoh; Manta had been there as well, but I don't think he remembered. It had been the corny truth. But my job was to aid the Shaman King when the time came. I wasn't allowed to have wants. Besides, people already could have a voice in things.

In the end, I signed something that _was_ truthful. _'I want to help people.'_

()()()()()()()()()

Starved, I was all but shoveling my food into my mouth. This wasn't the best food ever, but it would have to do for now. When I realized Manta wasn't eating, I stopped.

"Yoh-kun said he wants to become the Shaman King. I don't have anything that I want to become or know what I want to do," Manta mumbled. "The reason I was with Yoh-kun was because I felt that I didn't belong to my house or to my school. And I felt comfortable being with him. That's why I stayed with him."

I found myself agreeing with Manta. I was comfortable with Yoh and Manta and Anna and the rest. I had a 'place where I belonged,' but until I got there, I was comfortable here, with them.

While Manta had been talking, Ryu had kept eating, but now he had stopped. "What's wrong with that?" he asked, pointing his spoon into Manta's face. "You stayed because you felt comfortable. That's totally fine." He turned his head toward the window. "Look. For example… the rest stop that's connected to the highway. For me, I feel that this place is very comfortable. This place has a 'commune' that people who travel around Japan created. A totally different thing from normal living. It should be called 'an urban community' that's located in the mountains."

I blinked. For once, Ryu was sounding pretty serious. I wasn't quite getting the gist of it yet, but I was sure Ryu believed in what he was saying.

"Why do I like it?" Ryu asked rhetorically. "It's because I'm a traveler. That's why I don't get bored of a region's souvenir stores no matter how many times I look at it. Even the key chains from the eighties feel like… nostalgic love. Finally, the most impressive thing that this enormous and wild view that floats in the night is heartrending, and I love it uncontrollably."

What was he saying? That a rest stop was like a temporary home?

"Say I start working at this service area," Ryu continued. "You think that's running away?" He looked at Manta pointedly.

"No, I don't think of it that way." Manta looked mesmerized.

Ryu waved his spoon in the air. "A comfortable place. Basically, that place is where you can be yourself. To sum it up…" He pointed to spoon in Manta's face again. "It's the Best Place for that person."

Now I got it! Why Ryu went on about the 'Best Place' all the time. It was a home, no matter how transitory. The place where you felt most comfortable.

Though I still felt Ryu was a pervert, I had a new respect for him.

"You can find what you want to do only in the best place," Ryu went on. "Your best place is being with Master Yoh, isn't it?"

Manta lowered his head a little. "But I still can't…"

"Find what you want to do," Ryu finished for him. As Manta nodded, he continued as he stood up and looked out the window. "For you… there's something that you really want to do. You want to see Master Yoh again. Right?" he asked, turning his head around knowingly.

As I watched, Manta got a fierce determination in his eyes. He nodded. "Yeah."

I smiled. When Manta turned to me, I put out my hands. _'We'll find him,' _I promised.

()()()()()()()()

I stretched again as I came out of the bathroom (Manta and Ryu might've been able to make pit stops on the side of the road, but there was no way in hell I'd do that). Ryu and Manta had agreed to wait for me outside, but as I walked towards the door, Manta himself entered.

Noticing my confused look, he explained, "There won't be another rest stop for a while, so Ryu wanted me to but some snacks."

I nodded and went along with Manta between the aisles, noting that 'for a while' also applied to my bladder. I let out a slight sigh; I might have to make a pit stop on the side of the road after all.

As Manta piled a number of cheeses into the basket, I blinked, noticing a strong burst of shamanic energy in the area. Was it those shamans that had been following us?

I remembered the shamanic energy that I had felt coming off of Ryu. Whatever it was, I think he could handle it.

When Manta and I finally got enough snacks (Mini Oreos were my weakness), we paid for the lot and headed back outside. When we got to Ryu's motorcycle, he was nowhere to be found.

"Ryu-san?" Manta called. He looked at me. "He wouldn't ditch us…?"

I shook my head. Ryu wouldn't leave his motorcycle.

I blinked as two girls, one tall, one shorter than Manta (she also seemed to be six or something) ran past, and then the red car I'd seen earlier drove away. Manta was oblivious as he said, "Could he have gone to the bathroom?"

Just the mention of the word reminded me that I'd nave no bathroom for a long time yet. Another note to self: drink very little water until we get to the next stop.

I set my bag down and stretched again. Might as well enjoy being comfortable while it lasts.

()()()()()()()()

Ryu wasn't gone long (in fact, he hardly took a minute to return), and soon we were on the road again.

Whoop. De. Do.

"Blue sky is in the sun!" Ryu sang. I wanted to strangle him. "My scorching road, and I am burnt as well. Ahh ahhhhhh! Motorcycle makes an appearance! Motorcycle is high quality! Yay! It's really the best!"


	18. Tamao

**DISCLAIMER: Shaman King is not mine. I only wish Ren was mine... Wait. It sounds like I'm saying he isn't real. o.o**

_Yoh's spirit evolves. Anyone else see a connection to a certain video game/anime/card game/whatever here? XD *imagines Ren throwing a pokeball* He'd be the badass rival._

_Mini-vacation was cool. Cockroaches, not. Definitely not. The vacation also affected my word count on NaNoWriMo, but I'm too lazy tonight to work on it... *in a slump of an area* The plot is repetitive and blahblahblahblah I'll get through it. Ren's supposed to be the bad guy but he's only tried to kill others once -.- And I'm giving him boring scenes -.- what the hell. The only one not kinda out of character is Lyserg in that. I can't wait till this is over. Then y'all can read it 8D_

_I don't think I put enough heart into this chapter. Oh well. NEXT WE'LL BE DOING REN! Er- reading about Ren* *blushes* The first 24 eps are part of my faves - the beginning is just... different from the latter episodes, it had a certain quality that's just better (although Ren's art quality in wasn't that good in ep 3, as I saw the other day when watching the English, but I'm not talking art here). Eps 19-24 are just about my faveorite. *claps happily* I'm so excited!_

Normal text and "speaking," _thought, 'signing & mouthing,' **'telepathy.'**_

_Okay, longish chapter, but I don't feel Tori's voice in it much (figuratively :P). Next chapter, though, if I remember right... Hehehehehehhehe. XD_

**Eighteen: Tamao**

With nothing better to do as we traveled, I fiddled with my Oracle Bell. Even if I didn't see a match, the results were sent to mine. Since I was gone, I ought to have checked it sooner, but it hadn't registered in my mind as something to do.

The Oracle Bell made a slight beep, a sound lost in the wind of the motorcycle. I blinked when I read was written.

_USUI HOROHORO: MATCHES LOST: 1 MATCHES WON: 2_

I smiled slightly. Good for HoroHoro; losing to Yoh hadn't ruined his dream. He still had a chance.

"We're almost at Izumo!" Manta called as we passed a sign. "After this I can finally see Yoh-kun."

"Yeah, I want to see Master Yoh as quickly as possible, too," Ryu agreed. "But Manta, where should we go after we get to Izumo? You don't know where Master Yoh's house is, do you?"

I did. I wasn't saying, though.

…Did knowing this make me a stalker?

I mentally shook myself. I wasn't supposed to worry about this stuff. It wouldn't really matter once the main Tournament started, anyway.

"I heard that the Asakura family is one of the most talented shaman families there are," Manta explained.

_Right up there with the Taos, _I thought bitterly, my hands forming into fists as I thought of Ren. Evil son of a…

Manta's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "We might find some clues if we go to temples and such."

"I see," Ryu noted. "Well, let's go to the nearest temple, then!"

"Sure!" Manta agreed. I silently agreed as well.

"When I put on these sunglasses at night, I can't see anything," Ryu said randomly. He laughed.

My eyes were wide.

` Someone, help us!" Manta screeched.

Never. Ever. _Ever. _Go on a road trip with Ryu.

()()()()()()()()()

"And… how do we find out?" Ryu asked as we walked into a temple the next morning, thankfully still alive after the Sunglasses Scare.

"Um… If I can find a Shinto priest, he might know about it," Manta decided.

I had stopped walking before a voice stopped them. A shaman was nearby.

"Leave from this place!" a feminine, young voice declared. Manta and Ryu looked around in confusion as the voice continued. "I will not forgive anyone who tries to get in Yoh-sama's way. Leave from this place! Long one and small one!"

I blinked. Yoh-sama?

"Don't say things that aren't necessary!" Manta barked, offended at the short comment.

There was chuckling, two voices spoke in unison as two statues glowed and formed into spirits. "You three… if you don't leave from this place right now… you'll be in pain for a long time."

I stared at the two spirits; a raccoon and a fox. What did they think we were doing here? Planning to kill Yoh? The only one planning to do that was Tao Ren, and like hell I'd let him do that…

"Who the hell are you guys?" Ryu asked.

"Our names are Ponchi," said the raccoon.

"Conchi," the fox supplied. "We'll show you our strengths!"

They dashed forward, but Ryu slapped them easily down.

What the hell were these spirits? They were incapable of causing fear as well as pain. Were they supposed to be guardians or something?

"Ponchi! Conchi!" cried the feminine voice from earlier; I looked up to see a young girl of about twelve or so with pink hair and rosy eyes beginning to run over. "Are you okay?" she asked as her spirits ran crying to her, calling "Tamao!"

Then, the strangest thing happened. I couldn't see Ryu's face from where I stood, but the collar of his shirt seemed to puff out all on its own.

As the girl - Tamao? - petted her spirits, Manta stuttered, "Did you just say 'Yoh-sama'? How do you know him? What's your relationship?"

The girl stood. "Well…"

"Please go out with me!"

We all stared in shock at Ryu, who seemed to be sparkling. My eyes were wide. One: sparkles were terrible on men, and two: Ryu was a pervert. An absolute pervert.

"I am Bokotou no Ryu," Ryu declared, apparently attempting to make this into a dating service video or something else nasty like that. "My hobby is to find the Best Place. Please!" he cried, sounding desperate. "Go out with me!"

_She's twelve!_ I wanted to shout. _You're sick!_

"W-w-well," Tamao (?) stuttered, eyes wide with shock.

Ryu pulled a bouquet of flowers out of nowhere. Why did he carry them- never mind.

Tamao blushed and looked down. "Well, I'm sorry!"

Ryu started walking towards her. I think I should've stopped him, but I was paralyzed by the absolute _weirdness _of the situation.

"A-actually, I already have someone who I like," Tamao stammered. She looked up to see that Ryu wasn't stopping, and she backed up, afraid.

Ryu made a sound like a… kiss-y noise, and Tamao screeched.

Suddenly, the fox, Conchi, shaved off part of Ryu's pompadour, screaming, "Don't get carried away!" while Ponchi made a kick.

So, apparently, those two spirits were smarter than I thought.

"R-Ryu-san?" Manta asked, seeming to be in sympathy with Ryu's… pain below the belt. I, for one, was satisfied that Ryu couldn't get anywhere nearer to the poor girl.

"It's your turn now!" Ponchi cried, wrapping his tail around Manta's neck.

My eyes widened, and I rushed forward, slapping the spirit. The spirit let go of Manta immediately, but then, in retaliation, it wrapped its tail around _my _neck.

'_**Let go of me, you little-' **_I told Ponchi, struggling in his grip.

The raccoon ignored me. "Tamao! Stop crying and let's finish them off!"

"That was very scary…" Tamao was whimpering.

I pulled against the raccoon's tail; with it around my neck, I couldn't get at my feather to oversoul Nix, and I didn't think unity would help much unless I burned Ponchi. To do that, though, I needed to be able to _breathe_.

"Let go of her!" Manta pleaded, trying to swat at Ponchi but was unable to do so because of his height.

Tamao walked up, determination in her eyes. "I'll say this again. Leave this place immediately. If you do, we won't harm you anymore."

This wasn't my decision (I couldn't really communicate right now, anyways, as I was struggling to give myself room to breathe - the initial panic of which had worn off slightly somehow); it was Manta's. Whatever he decided, I would go along with it. I promised that I was going to help him and be there for him, no matter what.

"I refuse," Manta stated, glaring. "We came here to find Yoh-kun. I won't go home until I see Yoh-kun again!"

Tamao's eyes narrowed. "Conchi!" she called, and the fox appeared behind her. "Are you sure you're not going to leave this place?" she asked.

"I'll give you the same answer no matter how many times you ask," Manta replied. "Now, let go of Tori-kun!"

"Then I'm going to have to demolish you two. Conchi, let's go." She held out a heart-shaped object. "Conchi, in planchette!" There was a rosy light.

"Oversoul?" Manta asked. "Who are you?"

The girl held out her weapon, which might've been a crossbow but I couldn't be too sure because right now I was being choked.

"I am a training monk who serves under the Asakura family, Tamamura Tamao," the girl declared. "This will be the last time. Are you staying?"

Manta was silent for a moment, then said determinedly, "I came here to see Yoh-kun. I will not turn back! Let go of Tori-kun!"

"Stop it, Tamao!" called out a familiar voice.

Tamao lowered her hand.

"That voice is…" Manta trailed off as we all turned toward where the voice had originated; even Ponchi lessened his grip slightly in fright.

"Anna-sama!" Tamao cried.

Anna! And Amidamaru was behind her! But where was Yoh? Was he training…?

Anna didn't look too pleased (but really, when did she?). "I heard something that came out from your fortune telling, Tamao."

"Y-yes ma'am," Tamao sounded mystified, though I couldn't see her from this position. "It said that these people will bring misfortune to Yoh-sama."

"I see," Anna murmured. "Misfortune, eh?" She turned her head slightly. "Raccoon and fox over there."

"Yes ma'am?" they asked, obviously frightened for their existence, and with good reason.

"Come over here."

Immediately, they hurried to Anna's feet; I gulped in air, thankful that I wasn't trapped anymore.

Both spirits were sweating terribly. "W-well, Anna-sama," Ponchi said, "do you have anything to say, ma'am?"

"Conchi," Anna said, and the fox flinched.

"Hai?" he asked.

"Is there something that you should tell me?" Anna inquired.

"Well… nothing much, really," he answered.

"Ponchi, come towards me," Anna commanded.

"Hai, ma'am," Ponchi stammered, inching towards Anna's feet. Once he was within range, she stomped his face in.

I couldn't help having a smug smile while Manta and Tamao were horrified. Rotten raccoon deserved it.

"Conchi," Anna said, and the fox immediately started bowing, shouting apologies.

"Anna-sama, what is going on?" Tamao asked, incredibly confused.

Anna looked up. "That long one, the small one, and the girl are Yoh's friends."

"Eeeeeeh!" Tamao was appalled.

()()()()()()()()

"These two animals did something to your fortune telling," Anna explained as we walked a path through the woods; we'd left Ryu behind, but I didn't care one bit.

"Because we've bored lately…," Conchi muttered.

"And we were getting rusty," Ponchi added from within his egg-like bandage wrap. "We wanted to have some exercise."

I rolled my eyes. Excuses, excuses.

"No way!" Tamao seemed dismayed. "Then I did all that without realizing it?" She sighed. "As I thought, I'm still a greenhorn."

Manta smiled in amusement.

"Putting that aside," Anna continued, her arms crossed, "I didn't expect you to come this far, Manta."

I noticed how she didn't say my name. Was she expecting me to come? Or stay in Tokyo?

"I didn't want to lose a friend," Manta admitted.

Anna stopped walking. "Do you really understand, Manta?" She was silent for a brief moment. "Finding out more about Yoh… means getting involved deeply in the world of shamans. The possibility for you to be dragged into danger becomes higher."

Manta was silent for a moment, taking in her words, then narrowed his eyes. "I've already made up my mind."

There was silence for a heartbeat, then Anna started walking forwards. "Manta-kun."

We watched her walk for a moment, then Tamao broke the silence. "Excuse me, Manta-san, I…"

"Really, don't mind about it," he assured her.

Tamao turned to me. "Um… I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"This is Tori," Manta introduced. "She's a shaman, and she can't speak unless she's united with her spirit."

Tamao looked a bit taken-aback at the knowledge. "Well… um…"

I smiled at her and nodded, accepting her apology. I was all too used to people not knowing how to act around me. Never bothered me at all, since I never really had any true feelings before this life.

She tipped her head to the side, unable to keep herself from being curious. "Were you… um… born that way…?" Tamao blushed deeply, looking rather panicked.

Manta turned to me as well, not knowing the answer either. I shook my head. _'I got injured when I was a baby,' _I explained; Manta had to translate for me. It was a lie, but one I'd always used.

"But Tamao," Ponchi said, his voice muffled from within the recesses of his bandaging. "Your fortune telling itself wasn't wrong."

Tamao looked down at him. "What?"

Long one and small one… perhaps those girls I had seen running in the parking lot the other day? They did have shamanic energy, and a reason to take out Yoh: to win the Tournament. I'd have to keep an eye out.

()()()()()()()()()

"This is… Yoh's house?" Manta breathed as we stood on the threshold of the Asakura stronghold. I'd been here before, but I was still struck by its size. It was more like a palace then a house. "I didn't expect it to be this big," Manta went on.

"It's just simply old," Anna muttered.

"That's not the subject… Ahhh!"

I gave a start and looked at Manta while Amidamaru asked, "What's wrong, Manta-dono?"

"It just hit me… I totally forgot about Ryu-san!" Manta explained.

And this was a problem…?

"Don't mind about him," Anna said. "It's Ryu that we're talking about. I bet he's seeing the sights of Izumo in high spirits right now."

()()()()()()()()()()

"This building was built about six hundred years ago," Tamao explained as she gave us a tour of the grounds - there was even a little river running through this place! "At one time, one-hundred-and-ninety-one students were living here."

I blinked, remembering the legends I'd heard of the great Asakura clan. It truly had been great, back in the day… Now I was sounding like some old geezer.

I wondered vaguely if Goldva was sneezing now.

"That many?" Manta asked in awe.

Tamao stopped and turned around. "That's what I heard. At that time, it was really lively." She turned away. "But for now, it's only me who's a resident student training here."

"It's the trend of the times," Anna agreed quietly. "We can't do anything about it."

We came to a doorway, and Tamao slid it open. "I brought them with me, Yohmei-sama."

Yohmei? I hadn't thought about seeing Yohmei; I was so busy thinking about how not to think about Ryu singing, and about how to keep Manta safe as we went to see Yoh, that I hadn't thought about Yohmei at all.

When we entered, Yohmei was kneeling away from the door. "You are Oyamada Manta-kun, right? And Tori-kun," he added. "I've heard a lot about you two. Especially you, Manta."

"Um, it's a pleasure to see you," Manta said, not quite knowing what to do, as I bowed to Yohmei's back. "Um… I-"

"I know," Yohmei interrupted. "You came to see Yoh, right?"

I nodded while Manta replied with a "Hai…"

Yohmei was silent for a moment. "Yoh is… dead."

My eyes widened, and a sudden panic clutched at my heart. Yoh wouldn't… go there to train, would he? Yes, it rose your furyoku to a higher level, but still… it was dangerous…

"Yoh-kun is dead?" Manta repeated disbelievingly. "Why?"

"This will be a true statement," Yohmei continued, "if he doesn't come back within a few days."

I blinked. Yoh wasn't dead yet… but he certainly was in Yomi's Hole. I bit my lip.

"What do you mean?" Manta asked.

"Come with me."

()()()()()()()()()

The sun tinged the rocks orange as we looked at the exit of Yomi's Hole. The sand shifted beneath my flats as I curled my feet nervously. None of my lives had ever gone through Yomi's Hole, but still, seeing the darkness in the gap of the rocks sent chills up my spine.

"Then Yoh is training in here to gain his furyoku?" Manta asked, wrapping his mind around the gist of everything.

"That's right," Yohmei answered. "If he's alive, he comes out of this tunnel." He didn't need to say the alternative.

"Yoh-kun," Manta breathed before beginning to run forward. Before he could go far, I grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Wait," Yohmei commanded. "Inside Yomi's Hole is a world of complete naught where no light or sound would ever reach. If one without shaman training enters, he absolutely dies. It won't be any help if you go in there."

Manta tugged his arm out of my grip. "But-"

"Yoh entered Yomi's Hole with his own will," Anna explained. "We don't have any right to stop him even if something happens. The only thing we can do is just wait for him to come out."

I stared at the exit of Yomi's Hole. I could go in there and look… but I couldn't call out for him. I could sense for him, though, if the darkness didn't swallow my mental sense as well as my sight. Besides, my greatest fear was absolute darkness. No matter how many times I died, the absolute lack of light that greeted me at the end was terrifying…

()()()()()()()()()

That night, I sat beside Manta on the walkway, looking at the moon. Neither one of us could sleep, each of us worrying about Yoh. I had a feeling - or a hope? - that Yoh would make it out all right, but I couldn't stop thinking about the darkness that Yomi's Hole must hold. I was thankful for the moonlight.

My element (_like Hao's_, I admitted begrudgingly) was fire. It was life and destruction at the same time. It gave off light and created shadows. I relied on the light. It kept the shadows at bay.

"Are you two having a hard time falling asleep?"

Both me and Manta turned; in my thoughts, I hadn't noticed anyone approaching. Tamao stood there, in a beautiful kimono. She sat down and stared at the moon as well.

"Tamao-san," Manta greeted. "What are you doing this late?"

"I can't fall asleep either," Tamao admitted.

"I see," Manta agreed. "It's such a quiet place here," he noted after a moment.

"Yes," Tamao agreed, "but, well, I don't know anywhere else but here."

"Is that so?" Manta asked.

I felt like I was intruding. I couldn't exactly join in in the conversation, but I couldn't really leave, either.

"Since when did you live here?" Manta continued.

"Me? I've been here since I was four years old," Tamao explained.

"Four," Manta repeated. "Then you've been training since you were that small?"

"Hai, but I was a real crybaby when I was small," Tamao went on. "I was always crying during the training." She smiled. "Yet I still often cry."

"So do I," Manta admitted, and they laughed.

Why was I here? I wanted to fade away. I felt like a third wheel, something that wasn't needed.

Tamao stopped laughing. "But Yoh-sama is…"

"I see!" Manta said. "You've been training with Yoh-kun."

"Yes," Tamao said in assent. " Yoh-sama kept smiling even during a very hard training. I saw him like that and that always made me determined to work hard." She blushed lightly.

"The guy you said you liked was…" Manta trailed off, and I felt even stupider for being here than ever. Just because I couldn't speak didn't mean I wasn't here, but still…

Tamao was quiet. "Yoh-sama needs Anna-sama. Although it's the trend of the times, it's Yohmei-sama's way of thinking that the Asakura family cannot be extinct. For wives of Asakuras, women with capability as a shaman are required. Also, the one who is worried about Yoh-sama the most is probably Anna-sama," she admitted.

I felt sudden pity for Tamao. I'd never been in love (in fact, this life was the first where I felt the strongest about anything and everything, for reasons I didn't know), but I realized how hard it must be to watch someone you love be with another person.

"Yoh-kun is coming back, right?" Manta asked.

I couldn't stay out of the conversation any longer. I prodded Manta to gain his attention and signed, _'I promise you, he'll be back. He went through Anna's training, this should be a piece of cake.'_

Manta smiled. "You're right, Tori-kun. Yoh-kun can get through anything."

()()()()()()()

I sat in the sunshine the next day, refusing to sit in the shade beside Manta. I loved the sun, especially when the weather wasn't humid. Fire and heat always relaxed me and raised my spirits; if I needed anything right now, it was this.

I blinked when I heard footsteps, and looked up to see Tamao racing toward us. She slid open Yohmei's door. "Um, excuse me," she said, breathless. "Just a little while ago, my fortune telling said that Yoh-sama was coming out of Yomi's Hole today!"

()()()()()()()

"What you were saying was true, right Tamao?" Yohmei asked as we stood outside of the exit to Yomi's Hole.

"Hai," she answered. "I'm positive."

"Yoh-kun." I could hear the smile in Manta's voice as we waited.

Suddenly, I sensed a presence, and looked up to see the two girls I had seen at the rest stop a few days ago standing on the side of the cliff.

"Well well… we thought we couldn't see Asakura Yoh anywhere, and he was hiding in a place like this," the short one called.

"He was in hiding in this place," the tall one added.

"Long one and small one!" Tamao exclaimed.

Just like I thought. Nix appeared next to me, and I took his and oversouled him into my feather, creating my - er, our? - wings as the two jumped down onto the ground; the taller one sunk down into the sand.

"Seems like participants of the Shaman Fight," Yohmei huffed.

I studied the two girls. This wasn't an official match, but I could only attack them if they attacked first.

The girls stood up straight. "I'm sorry to say this, but I'll have Asakura Yoh be dead," the taller one said. "Milly, are you ready?"

"Okay, Elly!" the little one said, shooting off an attack that hit the wall near Yomi's Hole, causing boulders to fall almost directly in front of it. They were trying to trap Yoh inside!

I dashed forward, but the tall girl - Elly - whipped out oversouled claws and swiped at me; I managed to pull back just in time for the attack to miss my face, but blood trickled down my arm where she had slashed at it.

"Don't get in my way," Elly warned.

Milly shot at the wall again, and another boulder fell.

"Stop it!" Manta called as I readied myself to send a burst of fire at her. I pulled one wing back and was about to swing it forward when Manta suddenly ran forward. Elly jumped to attack him, and I intercepted the hit with a wing just as Harusame's sheath flew through the air.

I pushed Elly away and backed up, beaming at the sight I saw, breaking my oversoul, and deciding to stay out of the rest of the fight. Yoh could handle it.

"Nice throw, Anna," Yoh called, emerging from Yomi's Hole in an orange jumpsuit that was worn and dirty.

"Yoh-kun!" Manta greeted, sounding just about as ecstatic as I felt.

"It's loud out here," Yoh noted. He glanced at Elly and Milly. "Huh? Who are you?"

"What are we gonna do, Elly?" Milly asked, unnerved.

"What we're gonna do is what we're gonna do!" Elly yelled. She jumped at Yoh. "I'm going to cut you into pieces!"

Yoh jumped back, dodging her attack. "Hey! What are you doing?" he asked, sounding completely baffled. A shot from Milly's oversoul just barely hit him. "What's going on?"

"Yoh-dono!" Amidamaru called, rushing to Yoh in his spirit ball form.

"What is it?" Yoh asked, looking as confused as I had ever seen him.

"What do you mean, 'what is it'?" Amidamaru freaked. "Hurry up and-"

"If you say so," Yoh said, and Amidamaru entered Harusame.

Milly shot at Yoh again, and when the dust from the attack cleared, it revealed Yoh to be standing there with his oversoul on; I could see it was much more powerful than before.

"What is this?" Yoh asked.

"Yoh-dono, they are trying to kill you," Amidamaru explained from his oversoul form. "I'm going to support you, so hurry!"

Yoh brightened. "Now I see what's going on." Suddenly, he held Amidamaru out at an arm's length. "Why are you talking?"

"Now that you've mentioned it!" Amidamaru agreed, equally surprised.

"The result of training seems to have appeared already," Yohmei noted as I backed up even further to stand beside him, Anna, and Tamao.

"What?" Tamao asked.

"Yoh's furyoku increased its level and now is incomparable with the earlier one," Yohmei elaborated. "Yoh's oversoul has attained evolution."

Elly and Milly were clutching at each other in fright as they stared at Yoh. He smiled, slashing out and sending a burst of light and power at the girls, sending them flying away through the air.

Well, that was the end of them, at least for a while.

Calmly, Yoh walked up to us. "Well, they flew far."

"I was surprised as well," Amidamaru agreed.

"It tells us that your oversoul has evolved," Yohmei explained to his grandson. He smiled. "It's good for you to come out of Yomi's Hole safely, Yoh."

Yoh grinned, and then his attention was caught to Anna, who turned away. "I guess you worked harder than you ever did."

"You think so?" Yoh asked.

"For now, I would say you did a great job," Anna said without looking at him.

Yoh smiled. "Thank you."

"There are people waiting for you," Anna said.

Finally, Yoh seemed to notice Manta and me. I smiled at let the two have their moment.

"Well… I…," Manta began. He suddenly seemed to gain courage. "I want to be friends with Yoh-kun all the time. Well…"

"Manta…" Yoh hesitated.

Anna gave a rare smile. "How about telling him the truth?"

"Well…," Yoh stammered. "I was… well… at that time…" Suddenly, his stomach growled, and he and Manta broke out into laughter, and I my own little giggle.

"Let's go home, shall we?" Manta suggested.

"Yeah," Yoh agreed.

As we walked toward the bulk of the group, Yoh turned to me. "Thanks for watching him for me," he murmured. I have him a nod in response; of course I watched Manta. He and Yoh were my friends. I'd do anything for them.

Well… almost anything.

Nix appeared on my shoulder as we started walking back toward the Asakura house. _**'I've been thinking…' **_he began. _**'I do not like the bonds you are making, but my first promise to you was to be your faithful spirit. I will stay by you, but you must promise that you'll leave them when the time comes."**_

I smiled and reached up to stroke his chest feathers with my knuckle. _**'Thank you,' **_I replied, relieved. _**'I promise.' **_

I thought the words, but I didn't even have an inkling of how hard it would be to keep the vow.


	19. Yoh vs Ren

**Disclaimer: Shaman King is not mine.**

_Got to hurry. Going to see Harry Potter soon. I couldn't wait any longer in uploading this, even though I'm days behind on my NaNoWriMo - though I have FINALLY given Ren a good scene. 8D This chapter is shorter than the last one, but includes more Tori-ness. Oh, how I love the earlier episodes of Shaman King. Makes me want to watch it all over AGAIN. We're getting into LENNY! 8D *jumps around* How I adore him._

_I'm pretty sure "Gomenjudaisai" is one of those phrases you say when you enter a house; if it's wrong, well, oh well. But seriously, I need to get moving. So, enjoy! Have any questions, just ask in a review._

**Nineteen: Yoh vs. Ren**

Home! Finally!

I collapsed on my futon. _My _futon. Well, technically it was the Asakura's futon, since it _was _Yoh's house, but I didn't care. We'd been gone far too long for me to care.

I sighed into the mattress. It would've been nice to just stay here, but I couldn't just hole myself up in here. I had to go to the bathroom, anyways. Plus, there was dinner to worry about.

I plodded downstairs, enjoying the feel of being home. I loved this place. My days in it were probably numbered, though. Scratch that, they _were _numbered.

"Gomenjudaisai!" called a voice; startled and curious, I went to the front door to see that Anna and Yoh were already there greeting Tamao, of all people. I flashed her a smile as I stood beside Yoh.

"Sorry to bother you without notice," Tamao apologized.

"I don't really mind," Anna replied in her usual monotone.

"Well…" Tamao looked past Anna at Yoh, who grinned. Immediately, her cheeks reddened.

I kept myself from frowning. Personally, I didn't see any reason to blush over Yoh, but then again, never in any of my lives had I been in love. But really, Yoh was Anna's, anyone could see that.

Anna turned toward Yoh and me. "What are you dawdling over?" she asked him harshly; immediately in response, Yoh stood at attention like a soldier. "Hurry up and go get groceries for dinner. Tori, go with him and make sure he doesn't forget anything."

I nodded while Yoh saluted, and he slipped on his sandals and me my flats.

"If it's groceries, I'll-" Tamao began.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Yoh assured her. "We're doing this for our running training as well."

No one told me that, but I loved running, so it wasn't a big deal. But then again, what was I expecting? Strolling to the grocery store? Anna would kill us.

Yoh and I slipped past Tamao and took off running.

"C'mon Tori, Amidamaru!" Yoh called, and his spirit floated alongside us as we ran.

I loved this routine. Actually, I just loved being home. I remember what Ryu told Manta about the best place to be. And right now, for me, it was to be running by Yoh's side, with the ease of friendship. Yoh was the best (human) friend I ever had, and I never wanted that to change.

I thought about the lies I'd let them believe. That they thought I was really in the Shaman Fight, among other things. I realized that I'd long since given up the neutrality rule that Goldva would surely smack me for if I wasn't 'above' him. I was going to be backing Yoh the whole way, as well as HoroHoro (as for Ryu's I'd…tolerate him). But when the time came for me to help the Shaman King, I'd put aside all my feelings and help him or her. It was my duty, anyway, as well as what I'd promised Nix.

Suddenly, I remembered what I'd been pushing aside in my mind when Amidamaru spoke.

"Yoh-dono, tomorrow will be the last match whether you laugh or cry after it."

The match… with Tao Ren! I felt my hatred for Ren and fear for Yoh boil in my blood.

"Last?" Yoh asked as I kept pace beside him. "That sounds as if I'm going to lose."

_You can't lose, _I thought. _Not to that bastard._

Amidamaru chuckled to Yoh. "Indeed."

"I will win tomorrow, no matter what," Yoh promised.

"Did you think of any strategies?" Amidamaru asked.

Yoh grinned. "Nothing at all."

Whoa, whoa, _whoa. _I cut in front of Yoh and forced him to stop. He looked at me quizzically.

'_What do you mean, 'nothing at all'?' _I signed to him, angered.

Yoh blinked. "It'll all work out, Tori." He put a hand on my shoulder, suddenly serious. "All the same, stay out of it, all right?"

I stared at him. He didn't want me to get hurt. The irony I felt just then made me want to laugh bitterly, but I just kept staring. Me. Get hurt by Tao Ren. Hah! Too late. I really regretted my attempt to 'save' him from that truck back when we'd 'first met.'

I sighed. _'I'll try, but no promises.'_

Yoh gave me a sort of grimacing grin, as if he'd been expecting this. "Fine. By the way," he added, changing the subject, "When's your next match?"

I smiled and signed, _'I won one while you were gone.'_

He beamed as well. "You're in the main Tournament! Great!" He suddenly looked to be on the verge of tears. "Just remember, if I don't win against you, Anna will kill me."

I gave him a playful shove as we started running again, but I couldn't shove away the guilt of the lie. Nor could I stop myself from doubting Yoh's assurances that he would win. Ren was ruthless; I had seen that firsthand. My fists tightened. Ren would stop at nothing to win. And, judging from the last words I'd heard from him, killing was definitely an option.

()()()()()()()()()

It seemed to take forever for the sun to come up. I had slept, but after another nightmare featuring Ren and his Kwan Dao, I had woken up a few hours before sunrise, unable to fall back asleep.

At breakfast, Yoh, with his carefree attitude, ate quickly. Anna ate slowly while Tamao hardly put food in her mouth. I ate almost as quickly as Yoh, but only because I was incredibly hungry.

When it was time for us to leave, Anna gave Yoh a bag with (presumably) his battle outfit inside. Yoh slipped on his sandals and I my flats once again. He grabbed his katana, and we exited the En Inn to see Manta waiting for us - well, _Yoh _- with a smile.

"All right!" Yoh called with a grin. "Shall we go then?"

"Yeah!" he and Manta exclaimed together, raising their fists into the air. I couldn't help but smile.

()()()()()()()()()

"The biggest graveyard in western Tokyo," Manta said to the wind; I eavesdropped. "Matarein… Yoh-kun's final battle arena which the Great Spirit has decided. The day has finally come. The day when you fight against Tao Ren."

Manta bent his head and gave a sort of nervous giggle. "Even I'm getting nervous."

_Well, Manta, _I wanted to say to him, _I'm long past nervous. _It took so much energy not to shake in anger at the thought of Tao Ren…

Manta turned to something behind me. "Hey, Yoh-kun-" he began, then his jaw dropped; I'd have looked, but Yoh had already told me that he was going to change, and I wasn't even going to glance anywhere near that direction.

"Why are you naked?" Manta screeched.

"I thought I should change into my battle outfit," Yoh answered back; I could hear the smile in his voice. "It'd look pathetic if I change after Ren gets here."

Manta sighed and help up his hands as if to say, 'why do I even bother?' "Even though you would be done if you lost this match, you're still so easygoing."

I smirked. _'Annoying, isn't it?' _I asked Manta.

Manta smiled. "Yeah," he agreed.

"It's not like I can win if I get nervous," Yoh pointed out, laughing.

I heard him zip up his shirt and I turned around toward him. _'I'll be nervous for you.'_

Yoh grinned. "All right."

()()()()()()()()()

I peered over Manta as he looked at his watch. "Ten minutes until the match starts," he declared.

Ren could be here any minute… I felt Nix stir at the hatred that boiled inside me. He wasn't happy that I was so biased as to actually _hate _a contestant in the Shaman Fight, but he didn't say anything. We were united at the moment; there was no way I was going to watch this without at least being prepared.

A chill wind blew across the sunset-colored ground. "It gets colder as the day goes on," Manta noted.

I shook my head as I heard Amidamaru speaking from beside Yoh. The wind picked up, and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck rise. He was coming…

Yoh was sitting on the bench with his eyes closed. Did he hear that too? That slight jingle of the charm on Ren's Kwan Dao? Almost instinctively, I clutched at the charm I had taken from his broken one, in the pocket of my white dress.

Yoh opened his eyes and stood. "He came."

There was a sudden sound of neighing, and Tao Ren and his horse suddenly jumped down out of nowhere, crashing into the ground and looking impressive.

As I stood beside Manta, my eyes slid over Ren's gaudy cape, his cold eyes, and I thought of Chrom as I clenched my fist. Bastard Ren… If I ever got the opportunity, I might just punch his face in, to inflict at least _something _back at him, at the one who caused me such hatred and pain.

_How did I end up like this?_

Ren jumped off his horse and stood up fully. "I'm glad you came knowing that it's useless. It's laughable."

"Huh?" Yoh asked. "What do you mean by 'useless'?"

Ren had a satisfied, but almost angry smirk on his face. He was determined. "It means a fluke won't happen twice. I, Tao Ren, am the one who will become Shaman King." He pointed at Yoh with his Kwan Dao. "I'll destroy you in this place."

"That's not good," Yoh responded almost jokingly. "I can't lose either." He took the cloth off of Harusame and unsheathed the katana, smiling. "For that reason, I'm going to win this match no matter what."

Ren's face was almost blank for a moment before he glared. "You irritate me so much. I'll destroy you with one blow," he declared, taking off his cape and throwing it aside.

Yoh's Oracle Bell beeped; mine would have, as well, but I had turned off the sound long ago. It was almost time…

"Looks like it's going to start," Yoh said as he stood with an almost relaxed air, staring Ren down.

Ren smirked (I wished I could go over there and slap it off). "It's the countdown to your death. Bason! Into the Kwan Dao!"

Yoh oversouled Amidamaru into his own weapon as well, and the two prepared themselves in ready stances - well, if you could call Yoh's 'ready.'

"So that's your new oversoul…," Ren observed coldly, taking in the obviously enhanced form of Amidamaru's form around Harusame.

"You've got that right," Yoh agreed.

Yoh's Oracle Bell beeped, and Ren suddenly jumped into the air. "It's impossible for you to dodge this! _Golden Chuuka Zanmai!"_ he shrieked, sending a lightning-quick volley of stabs at Yoh. There was an explosion of dust, and when it settled, Yoh seemed to have dodged Ren, who had his oversoul embedded in the ground, and was hanging upside-down. Yoh laughed.

"Looks like you've improved a little," Ren stated.

"Thank you!" Yoh called.

Ren flipped onto his feet. "But it's only superficial."

"What do you mean by 'superficial'?" Yoh asked, not amused by the jibe.

Ren twirled his Kwan Dao into a ready position. "It means you're done with this one blow. This is how you use oversoul!" he declared, using a blast of furyoku to launch himself forward, the spear end of his weapon hitting Yoh's oversoul.

There was a burst of light, and Manta and I raised our arms to protect our eyes. The force of the spiritual energy made my senses nearly go haywire; for so early in the Tournament, this was a lot of furyoku… I hated to say it, but it was starting to seem as if Ren had the upper hand.

Yoh was knocked back onto the ground, but his oversoul was still intact. "Damn it," he muttered as he stood. His eyes widened, looking around. "Ren disappeared!"

Suddenly, Ren was behind Yoh. "You're done now!" He swung his Kwan Dao, but Yoh blocked the attack.

"What the-?" Ren seemed frozen as I held the block, the light from the furyoku making his form seem to shimmer. "Impossible!" His eyes widened as he saw Amidamaru's eyes. "Samurai? He depended on his oversoul which had volition?"

"This is how I fight," Yoh explained, not even looking at Ren as he blocked. "After all, Amidamaru and I are one flesh."

"Nonsense!" Ren shot back.

Yoh relaxed the block. "Tell me it's nonsense after you receive this attack." He slashed out. _"Shinkuu Buttagiri!"_

Ren's jaw dropped as the attack hit him and sent him crashing along the ground into the fence, leaving a long scuffmark in the grass.

I heard Manta breathe out something in awe, but I couldn't entirely agree. Ren still had a lot of furyoku left. I looked up and saw Silva standing in a tree with his spirits. I could tell that he knew this, too.

The priest's eyes met mine, and I could tell that he wasn't happy with me watching this with obvious bias. But who was he to think that? He probably wanted Yoh to win as much as I did.

"What the hell was that?" Ren asked; I looked back at him to see him rising to his feet. "Do you think that attack damaged me?"

_Well, _something _knocked you down! _I wanted to scream at him, smack that ridiculous self-importance out of him.

Yoh looked pissed off. "You speak maliciously."

"No shit!" Ren shot back. He was glaring, muscles tensed to the extreme. "I live to destroy everything."

I blinked, frowning. How the hell had he become like this?

He shifted to a ready stance. "I don't want a loose guy like you getting in my way!" he snarled, feeding furyoku into his oversoul and causing it to glow gold before it formed into a large version of his spirit, Bason.

Ren smirked. "Die!" He launched himself at Yoh and swatted him into the air before jumping after him and having Bason punch him down back toward the ground.

As he fell, Yoh's oversoul enlarged, shielding him from too much damage as he landed in a small crater.

I almost took a step forward, but Yoh's earlier words to me stopped me. _"All the same, stay out of it, all right?" _

I hadn't promised, but… No. There was absolutely no way I could step in. At all.

Why did I have to tell myself these things? I shouldn't have to…

Ren landed lightly on the grass, Kwan Dao almost lazily resting on his shoulder. "I guess you avoided the direct hit from the ground. But your oversoul is breaking apart."

"So what?" Yoh asked, standing up. "I was surprised because I hate being in high places." He fed more furyoku into his dwindling oversoul, and it appeared in the full again, although it made Yoh pant.

Ren smirked and jumped at Yoh again, breaking his oversoul with a slash and sending him skidding across the ground on his back.

"There's too much of a difference in our furyoku," Ren stated, holding up his oversoul with a giant Bason on the end almost proudly.

"Still more!" Yoh said, standing up determinedly and reforming his oversoul again.

Ren let out a huff of amusement. "That's how it should be. That's what I call a battling face. Humans and other animals keep on fighting as soon as they're born," he went on. "And only the strong ones are forgiven to live." His Kwan Dao flashed. "Let's go, Bason! _Golden Double Sledgehammer!"_

Bason, even more enlarged than before, raised both arms together and prepared to strike down. Yoh dashed forward under the attack and sliced directly at Bason's chest plate, shattering the oversoul.

"He destroyed it!" Manta exclaimed, never taking his wide eyes off of the battle.

I smiled grimly, crossing my arms. This battle was far from over.

Ren landed on the ground, leaning on his Kwan Dao and panting heavily. "This can't be happening," I heard him breathe. "Your weak oversoul destroyed mine? It must be a coincidence!" he exclaimed as he stood and reformed Bason, who punched at Yoh.

Seeming to listen to Amidamaru, Yoh dodged the attack, as well as the next one Ren had Bason perform. Smash, smash, smash. Dodge, dodge, dodge. Ren didn't seem to be even close to hitting Yoh, but I knew better.

Yoh landed on the ground, panting slightly. "This is dangerous."

"Damn you!" Ren swore at him. "I won't let you dodge again!" he cried, jumping into the air and sending out another volley of attacks. Blasts of light hit the ground, causing Manta and me to fall onto the ground as it shook. Not wanting to miss a thing, I squinted against the dust as I jumped back to my feet.

Ren, screaming, was attacking at one spot, but Yoh jumped up behind him. "Where are you aiming, Ren?" he asked, slashing out and shattering Ren's oversoul into pieces.

Ren flew through the air, landing on his knees and leaning on his Kwan Dao again as he panted. He raised his head, facing the opposite direction of Yoh. "My furyoku should be stronger than this. Even so, he destroyed my oversoul twice? How can he dodge my attacks?" he asked disbelievingly.

Yoh relaxed his stance and turned to Ren. "I didn't avoid anything."

Ren turned his head around. "What?"

Yoh was smiling. "My oversoul has been broken down five times already."

Ren stood back up, sneering with nothing but hatred as he held his body up almost tiredly as he stared Yoh down, the rising moon casting out their shadows.

Ren bowed his head, panting. "I'm so irritated…" he snarled out.

I narrowed my eyes. _Good, _I thought, _you deserve to be. _

"I'm irritated," Ren repeated in a hiss, forming Bason into a giant oversoul again. "I'm _irritated!" _he screeched, Bason yelling along with him.

Something about this made me back down slightly in pity. Ren was so… angry, it was just unnatural. When I realized that my mouth was slightly agape, I gave a hard frown. What was I thinking? Ren was cruel and terrible and a murderer. He deserved nothing, not even pity.


	20. The Result

**DISCLAIMER: Shaman King is not mine.**

_How Shaman King helps lives: in history, my teacher told us a bit about Vlad the Impailer. I, having watched the episode with the vampire (bloodsucking bats are the only good kind), knew what she was talking about. End of short story._

_I FINISHED NANOWRIMO! WOOHOOO! *jumps around* Sohappysohappy. I think my nanonovel has the best fight sequences that I've ever written, i'll edit and upload it eventually. :D I needed to celebrate, so here's chapter 20! I've been planning the scene near the end of this chap for, like, ever! :DDDDDD *multiple chins* XD_

Normal text and "speaking," _thought, 'signing/mouthing,' **telepathy.'**_

_I dislike the beginning since it barely contains Tori's "voice," but I make up for it later, I promise *so happy* :D_

_Enjoy! :D_

_Edit: made a big mistake, sorry, I fixed it._

**Twenty: The Result**

Ren's giant oversoul was hurtling towards Yoh; Yoh met his attack, and the force of the blast sent them both backwards.

Yoh stood, creating oversoul again.

"I'm the one who's going to win," Ren declared, standing up and creating oversoul once more.

"I can't lose either," Yoh explained. "If I lose, I won't be able to become Shaman King."

"I _have _to win," Ren said. "I can't move forward unless I defeat you." Suddenly, he screamed out, "Hakuoh!"

With an almost insane-sounding neigh, Ren's horse jumped out of the surrounding area, and Ren jumped atop the saddle on his feet.

"My Hakuoh is trained especially to become a shaman horse," Ren explained. He glared at Yoh with his harsh yellow eyes. "I will put the spirit of Bason's horse in him." He held up a mortuary tablet, knuckles white as he clasped it. "Come, Kokutoh! Hyoi Gattai in Hakuoh!" he cried, shifting the red spirit into the horse.

The horse neighed, almost sounding like it was in pain, as the spirit enveloped it; when the reddish light died down, the horse's glare almost matched Ren's as he crouched on the saddle, a big oversoul of Bason above him.

I narrowed my eyes. Ren was pulling out all the stops here.

The Tao screamed in rage as his horse charged at Yoh; he held his Kwan Dao in both hands, not needing to guide his steed as it galloped at full speed. There was a blast of dust at his attack, but Yoh had dodged.

I saw Ren grit his teeth, unnerved. "Play time is over," he declared, staring Yoh down from atop his horse.

"I want to end it too," Yoh agreed, almost happily at the thought of the battle being over. "I'm getting tired and hungry."

Ren was caught off-guard by this comment, I could see. "How much longer are you going to insult me?" He seemed to relax just slightly at a thought. "No matter who it is, no one can dodge my 'super real ability.'"

"Yeah," Yoh said. "Looks like I can't dodge like I used to be able to. Even scraping the attack can cause a lot of damage. Right, Amidamaru?" He stood up straight, smiling. "Then all I can do is receive it all face to face."

"Receive it all?" Manta repeated in shock; I, too, was surprised, but I was reminded of Yoh's fight with HoroHoro. He'd met HoroHoro's avalanche attack, but had managed to win. Maybe he could do it again…

Ren laughed, amusedly and bitterly; it sent shivers up my spine and I thought of Chrom's bloody body. "Receive it all?" he asked. "My 'super real ability'?" He chuckled darkly. "That's impossible."

My clenched fists shook, and I was grateful that Manta couldn't take his eyes off of them, or else I'd be on the spot. I wanted to use my oversoul to set Ren aflame right then and there, but even if Nix would let me (as we were integrated right now, though I would have to actually oversoul him), with Ren's power he could easily see it coming and fend it off.

"I wouldn't do it if it's not possible," Yoh said calmly.

"What do you mean?" Ren asked immediately.

"In Yomi's Hole, I learned that being myself at all times is very important," Yoh explained placidly. "In that darkness, if I lost being myself, I wouldn't have come back safely. The reason I lost to Faust is because I tried things that I'm not capable of. Trying things that I'm not capable of makes me feel that I'm not myself. It's really scary to lose myself. You don't know what you should and shouldn't do."

Yoh paused only for a second. "I'm not going to do things that I'm not capable of." He stared at Ren. "That's why what I'm going to do now is not impossible." He smiled and fed enough furyoku to his oversoul so that Amidamaru glowed into existence, just as large as Bason.

Here is was. Both of them were using up all of their furyoku in their oversouls; the one to break their oversoul here first would be the loser, and the other would be the winner. Desperately I hoped that the winner would be Yoh; if nothing less, I wanted Ren to lose that ridiculous attitude.

"It's not impossible?" Ren asked, almost to himself, head bowed so that his eyes were shadowed. "My 'super real ability'… Don't get carried away!" he screeched, his horse jumping into the air. "_Destroy!_" he screamed. _"Perfect Chuuka Zanmai!"_

Yoh shifted his stance, and together with Amidamaru, slashed at the attack head-on.

There was a flash of bright light, and Manta, being smaller than me, was blown backwards by the force. I knelt to the ground, struggling against the whipping wind, my red hair streaming out behind me as I squinted against the forceful gale. The burst of furyoku was sending my senses haywire, adding to the confusion; what was happening?

When the wind died down suddenly, I stood immediately, staring. Yoh and Ren were standing, facing in opposite directions; the Tao was still atop his steed. The spirit inside Hakuoh disappeared back into its tablet, and Yoh's and Ren's oversouls began to fade.

Ren's oversoul faded away completely, and he rested the tip of his Kwan Dao on the saddle of his horse before he stepped off. "I knew it from the beginning," I heard him say quietly, though currently my mind was being blown away. "Since the day when I first met him… I can only destroy things with force. But he is… wind… No one can cut or destroy wind." He let out a chuckle, and he smiled slightly. "It rather makes me feel good when my furyoku is totally gone. I feel lighter." He turned around. "Asakura Yoh. It's mortifying, but you're the winner."

My jaw was dropping as I scanned them with my senses. No… this had never happened before! It was… impossible…

"W-wait a minute, Ren," Yoh said, stiffly turning around, eyes wide and sweat on his face. "My furyoku ran out a while ago as well."

Ren's eyes widened for a moment before they narrowed in disbelief. "Huh!"

"What am I going to do?" Yoh said, holding his head. "If I lose, Anna will beat the shit out of me!"

Ren stalked up to him and raised a fist. "What the hell is that? What do you mean by 'I ran out of furyoku as well'? We can't find out who won then!"

But it was… a… a tie…

I couldn't even concentrate on what they said or did. I'd never seen anything like this. It had never happened before. Nix exited my body and perched on my shoulder, equally surprised, though not as struck as I was. After a moment of just standing there, gaping, I walked forward slowly on unsteady legs.

"Don't worry," I heard Silva say from somewhere; I didn't even bother to look. "I was watching the match carefully."

"Then come over here already!" Yoh and Ren demanded simultaneously, both angered, stalking up to him; still unsteady in my mind at this, I changed course and walked slowly over. "Who is it?" one of them demanded of Silva, me being just about unable to comprehend anything.

"You both ran out of furyoku and completely the same time," Silva explained. "And this match ends in a draw."

The words snapped me out of it. I was just about outraged; never, _ever_, had there been a draw. There was always one loser, and one winner. Not two winners, not two losers.

"Hey bastard!" Ren snarled, pointing at Silva. "What do you mean by a draw? This match decides who passes the preliminary!"

If I wasn't just about as startled as Ren at how the match ended, I would have slapped him for calling Silva a bastard.

"There's no need to worry about it," Silva said calmly to Ren. "The Great Spirit has already given the decision." He looked at his own silver Oracle Bell, and it beeped; I looked at mine too, just as Silva said, "Congratulations. You both passed the preliminary."

_BOTH PASS _was written on all of our Oracle Bells. Quickly realizing that I was (blatantly) exposing one of my secrets, I slapped down on a button and the screen went blank. Luckily, Yoh and Ren were too busy gaping to notice.

"Yay!" Manta exclaimed, jumping around like an excited kid.

"Hey wait, why are you happy?" Ren asked, noticing Manta for the first time. He saw me and his expression changed to an unreadable one, but he obviously wasn't happy; neither was I, not in the least.

Before either of us could do anything (I, for one, was _so _close to kicking Ren where it hurts), Yoh smiled and said, "Aren't you happy, Ren? Now you don't have to be punished by Anna."

Ren turned angrily to Yoh. "Like I said before, that has nothing to do with me."

"It's time for me to eat now," Yoh said happily as Manta kept jumping around and I dug my fingernails into my palms to keep myself from slapping Ren, perhaps from slapping all of them. Something had just changed between Yoh and Ren, and I didn't like it, not one little bit.

"You come too, Ren," Yoh went on, oblivious to my wide eyes.

"Why me?" Ren asked, almost as opposed to the idea as I was.

"Then you're coming, right?" Before Ren (or I) could object, Yoh said, "It's decided! Let's go home."

"Why do I have to go?" Ren complained.

"Who cares? Hurry up. Come get groceries with us too."

()()()()()()()()

What. The. Hell.

How had this happened? _How had this happened?_ Not only was Ren _in the house, _but he was eating _dinner _with us too! To make it worse, I, in an attempt to try and make myself feel better, had sat at the end of the table beside the ever-happy HoroHoro, so that I had the end of the table to myself in sitting room. But just _who _had to sit at my left side?

Tao Ren.

Oh, I'd long since learned the world was unfair, but why _me?_

HoroHoro and Yoh were all smiles after HoroHoro made _another _toast (that I hadn't joined in).

"Such a matter for congratulations," HoroHoro said cheerily, his opinion polar opposite from mine. "It's a miracle for an easygoing guy like you to pass the preliminary."

"It really is a miracle," Yoh agreed. "The fact that you lost to me and passed the preliminary."

They both laughed before HoroHoro realized what Yoh had said and screamed at him. The others laughed at this.

So much noise…

"It really is a good thing to pass the preliminary together," Tamao noted from across the table.

Pirika sat beside her. "Yeah. Even though it is already decided that onii-chan is the one who's going to become the Shaman King."

Anna glared at her from out of the corner of her ebony eyes. "Already decided?"

"Yep," Pirika agreed. "It's already decided."

Anna put her elbow on the table and rested her head on her hand. "This girl makes me laugh."

Even they… were all right with this…

I sent a look at Ren that was somewhere between a glance and a glare. He caught my eye, and raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you speak like the rest of them?" he asked, both tauntingly and obviously annoyed at all the noise as well.

I was just about to reach over and deck him one when Manta spoke up. "Tori-kun is mute. She can only speak when she spirit is oversouled."

"Hmm," Ren said, never taking his cold, catlike gaze off of me. "Interesting."

In his eyes were challenges and perhaps a question. No, not a question, a deal, maybe. He wanted me to keep quiet about Chrom, for some reason I couldn't imagine. Though, however, it seemed like he was _daring _me to do something about it.

I glared back at him, attempting to convey all the hatred I felt for him in that one look. Under the table, my fist was shaking, wanting nothing more than to fly at his face and… and _shred _him.

Ren's eyes were neither narrowed nor widened. He just stared back at me, his expression suddenly unreadable as he leaned against the table, popping the lid off of his bottle of milk. This caught me off guard, and I backed off slightly. What was he trying to do?

He blinked at me once, then turned his head away as he took a draught from his bottle before slamming it down. "You guys are so noisy," he said, his voice directed at HoroHoro and Yoh, who had been talking without me noticing.

"What?" HoroHoro asked, he and Yoh turning to Ren.

Ren glared at them, daring them to do something. His expression grew almost bored. "Your face is kind of like what stupid people have," he said to HoroHoro.

This was so unexpected that, if anyone but the Tao had said it, I would have laughed. Instead, however, I just stared, mouth slightly agape.

HoroHoro stood. "What did you just say…," he demanded, suddenly knocking on his own head as if trying to remember something.

"It's Tao Ren," Ren said, "Remember it at once."

"Oh! That's right! Tao Ren, Tao Ren," HoroHoro said. He put a food on the table (almost on my plate) and leaned over, poking Ren so that he fell over, his legs still crossed. The Ainu laughed.

Immediately, Ren was on his feet, Kwan Dao at the ready. "Are you trying to pick a fight?" he snarled.

"Sounds good to me." HoroHoro put up his fists.

"Now, now," Manta said, somehow grabbing onto HoroHoro's leg, to which the Ainu responded with a "What are you doing?"

"We are friends after all," Yoh said, holding Ren back by the shoulders with a grin.

"I don't remember becoming friends with you bastards," Ren spat (and I didn't remember becoming friends with him either). "Let go."

"I refuse," Yoh laughed.

Ren's tongari twitched, and suddenly he was twirling Yoh around by the feet, almost hitting me in the head. I ducked as Ren managed to get over to HoroHoro's side of the table, but Yoh regained his footing and held him back while Manta kept HoroHoro back, who was taunting Ren.

This was insane. An hour ago, Ren had been the enemy, and now they were treating him like a friend. This wasn't right. They didn't know everything about him. He'd tried to kill Yoh and me multiple times, and he had reduced Chrom to a bunch of bloody pieces.

"Well," HoroHoro said after the fighting had calmed down, "it is a matter for congratulation for passing the preliminary." He held up his cup of juice in cheers again. "Now, let's go wild tonight!"

We all raised our glasses, including me, though I made sure to 'accidentally' slosh a little onto Ren's jacket. In response, he glared at me. I made no attempt to hide the spiteful look I gave back before I averted my gaze over to Tamao, who was pouring juice into a glass.

"Here, Yoh-sama," she offered to Yoh, blushing.

"Oh, thanks," Yoh said, taking the glass and gulping down the entire glass of juice in rushed gulps before letting out a loud "Ahh!"

"Um… um…," Tamao began. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Congratulations!" she squeaked, her face growing pinker than her hair before she jumped to her feet and ran out of the room.

I heard a sort of "Hmm," sound, and looked over to see both Manta and Ren watching with knowing eyes. Just seeing them do something in unison made me feel sick.

()()()()()()()()()()()

Needless to say, I did _not _go into the onsen with them. I didn't even help Tamao with the dishes, or watch TV with Anna and Pirika (the latter of whom I had heard say something about 'Ren' and 'hot,' but I couldn't be sure because I had left immediately). Instead, I stalked around outside, listening to the faint sounds of arguments and laughter coming from the onsen area.

How did this happen? In one night, the world had been turned upside-down. First, the unthinkable happened, and a preliminary match ended in a draw. Then, the even _more _unthinkable thing happened; Yoh, insane, incredibly easygoing Yoh, had become friends with Tao Ren, thereby making HoroHoro and Manta friends with him, too. In turn, this made Anna, Pirika, and Tamao tolerate him as well (well, in Anna's case, it wasn't exactly toleration, but still). Was I the _only one _who saw Ren for what he really was? An intolerable, terrible, frightening _murderer_?

'_**Calm down,' **_Nix told me, watching me from where he perched on the rafter. _**'Hate is something you're not supposed to feel.'**_

'_**Friendship isn't something I'm supposed to feel either, remember?' **_I shot back at him. I was pacing in circles, wanting nothing more than to scream at the world. Rarely ever had I felt anything close to hatred in any of my lives, not even for Hao, who had killed so many (sure, I was terrified of him sometimes, but I never truly hated him). Something about this life had changed me, my soul. This hatred was almost too much; it was so new, so… different. It was difficult to deal with.

Nix didn't reply to me, so I let out a sigh and looked up at the stars. Compared to the light of the moon, they were dim, but that didn't mean they weren't beautiful. I felt the chill of the night, and I shivered; I was never one for being cold.

I gave a start at the sound of a loud snort, and I realized that the sounds from the onsen had died down, and that I had been standing with complete silence in the air. I looked around and saw Ren's horse tied to the fence by its bridle. On some sort of whim, I walked over to it and patted its nose. It was nice and soft, not really what I expected, actually.

'_**Hi… Hakuoh,' **_I whispered into the horse's mind, still patting it.

The horse flicked its ears and eyed me, curious, but quiet. I didn't expect it to answer me, anyway. Understanding an animal's thoughts were tricky, to say the least. Their thoughts were much more centered on instinct than ours.

I continued to pet Hakuoh's nose, then reached up and scratched the stallion's neck, right behind its ears. It let out a loud sigh of contentment. I blinked, wondering how a creature belonging to someone so… full of hate could seem so gentle.

Lost in my thoughts, I gave another start when a voice spoke.

"Just what are you doing with my horse?"

I whirled around to see Ren standing there, dressed in his earlier battle outfit and gaudy cape. Immediately, I tensed, but Ren just gave me a sort of tired look and walked past me to untie his horse from the fence.

I watched him, uneasy. Why was he leaving? Not that I wasn't absolutely ecstatic that he was, but…

Ren lifted the reins over his horse's head, then looked at me, expression once again unreadable. After a moment, he asked, "Just what are you hiding?"

I blinked, taken aback. How… what…?

Ren's eyes were hard, but not cold. I wished I could read them; know what he was thinking… I _had _accidentally invaded Pailong's mind, but here, I was too afraid of what I might see, of what Ren might figure out…

Ren's expression seemed to grow bored, or tired. "I couldn't care less."

Suddenly, the hatred I felt seemed to explode inside me, and before I could think, I slapped Ren, straight across his cheek, causing a resonating _smack _to sound.

As soon as I did that, my eyes widened, and I stared at my hand. I'd wanted to cause Ren just one percent of what hatred he put in me, but now that I had… I couldn't believe that so much hatred had risen inside me to actually _hit _someone.

Ren had been frozen with shock for a moment, then he scowled at me. Suddenly afraid of what he might do to me, I backed up, unable to look away from his yellow eyes, but his expression suddenly changed for just a brief second to one of… sadness? The look was so short that I thought it must've been a trick of the moonlight.

Ren jumped up onto the saddle of his horse, and I, wanting to get away, hurried back inside the front door. Immediately, though, I had to dodge around a sleepy-looking Yoh, ignoring his questioning look, and hurried up the stairs to my room.

Somehow, my feet hurried me to the window, and I looked out to watch the moonlit figure of Ren on horseback riding away…

()()()()()()()()

After a few days, everything had seemed to go back to normal. Ren was gone, and that made me… Well, I wasn't sure. Lately, when I was alone, I'd found myself thinking about him, about the look he had given me. Something about it made me wonder just what had made Ren so angry, just what had made him so full of hate. Maybe Yoh was right, and there was good in him…

But all I had to do was think of Chrom to get me back to my right mind.

At lunch, I sat between HoroHoro and Manta, gulping down my rice. HoroHoro was telling some sort of a joke with his mouth full, and I was listening in earnest, when a sudden flash of… _something_ froze me.

Immediately, I sensed danger; not necessarily to me but to someone. Around the table, everyone was frozen, including Manta, though I think he was just puzzled about our behavior.

_Ren._

"_Ren," Yoh breathed, echoing my thoughts._

"_Y-Yoh-sama!" came the voice of a spirit, and I looked up to see Bason on the ground just outside the door. He raised his head, revealing his worried, sweating face. "Please, please rescue Ren-Bocchama!"_


	21. Zenryo

**'****DISCLAIMER: Shaman King is not mine.**

_I'd like to make two apologies: one, I meant to upload this yesterday, but I had to leave earlier than I thought to go to a Christmas party (oh, by the way, Happy Holidays!). Two, I feel like I've been slacking on editing and letting a lot of grammar mistakes slip through, so sorry about that as well. I read this twice (once out loud; my throat's a little sore now XD), so there shouldn't be _too _many mistakes, but still, there's always gonna be a mistake somewhere. *Shrugs*_

_Bit of a filler here, tried to make it as interesting as possible. Zenryo (I think in the manga they're the BoZ brothers, but I can't be sure, I'm too lazy to look it up) reminds me of an even worse Team Rocket (who, by the way, have turned even worse in the new seasons... I have no clue why I still watch it XD games are wicked fun, though). But now that this chapter is up, I'll go back to writing and work on my homework tomorrow, a day before it's due! XD_

Normal text and "speaking," _thought, 'signing/mouthing,' **'telepathy.'**_

_Enjoy!_

**Twenty-One: Zenryo**

"What? Ren picked a fight with his dad?" HoroHoro asked Bason, who was explaining the situation to us.

"Yes," Bason grumbled out. "But… even with Ren-Bocchama's strength, he couldn't do _anything _to Tao En-sama. Ren-Bocchama was defeated, extremely wounded by his father, and was imprisoned into the dungeon. Bocchama ordered me to leave, so that I wouldn't end up a slave to his father like Pailong."

"Imprisoned?" Yoh repeated.

"I beg you," Bason pleaded. "The only people who can rescue Bocchama are you."

I hesitated while HoroHoro sighed, "Seriously, Ren is always causing trouble." Pirika pinched him.

Before Yoh's draw with Ren, I would have said, 'I don't care,' but now… I wasn't so sure. Ugh, why did things have to change? It would be so much easier if I didn't feel so damn… weird.

"Even though we really want to help him…," Yoh began, turning back toward Anna. I looked as well, to see her leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

"I understand the situation you're in, Bason," she said. Everyone brightened. She stood up fully. "That's that, and today's training is the invisible chair for one hour."

"Wha?" everyone asked, dropping their jaws, including me.

"If you have any complaints, I'll make it ten hours," Anna said, walking back inside.

"Wait, Anna!" Yoh called.

Anna stopped but didn't turn around. "The Tao family is dangerous."

I blinked, realizing that I hadn't even been thinking about the Tao _family, _only _Ren. _Of course his father, the head of the clan, would oppose us. What was I thinking? It could be a suicide mission.

"What do you mean?" Manta asked the itako.

"Its history probably surpasses the Asakura family," Anna explained quietly. "An assassin group that was started over three thousand years ago: that's the Tao family. When there's a bloody history, the Tao family was always involved in the assassination. Even though they did decline, going to their main headquarters is too dangerous." Anna turned her head around. "And it's just because of a father and son fight."

"It's not just a father and son fight!" Bason insisted.

"Then let me ask you this," Anna went on. "Why did Tao Ren revolt against his own father?"

"Well…," Bason began. "Bocchama didn't explain that to me clearly either. Except that he told me he's going to cut the hatred rope that crosses all over the world."

Cut the hatred rope…?

"Don't bring Yoh to the fight for that worthless reason," Anna said, in a very pissed-off manner.

"Hey, Anna…," Yoh began, trying to calm her.

"Yoh, you only have one month until the main Tournament. There are so many things that you have to do until then."

"What the heck…?" Yoh asked, confused.

Anna narrowed her eyes and turned away. "You're going to train more."

()()()()()()()()

I knew what Yoh, Manta, and HoroHoro were going to do, and I wasn't going to let them go alone. I ran beside them through the night, Amidamaru, Bason, Kororo, and Nix floating along behind us.

When Yoh had figured out that I was going with them, he wasn't happy, but there was no reason for him to say no. No fair reason, anyway. Manta had been glad to see me, and HoroHoro had elbowed me, asking me if I was ready to 'kick some ass.' I had smiled at this, though all the time I was wondering just exactly what Ren had been trying to do…

"Hey, run slower for me!" Yoh pleaded. "My legs are…"

"Are you okay?" Manta asked, his short legs working quickly to keep up with us.

"I guess ten hours of that was harsh," Yoh said, his feet dragging.

"Anyway Manta, is this the right way?" HoroHoro asked.

"Yeah. It's faster to go through Funbari Cemetery, though," Manta explained.

"Oh, darn!" Yoh suddenly exclaimed, and we stopped to look at him.

"What's wrong?" Manta asked.

"I forgot my 'Chinese for Beginners' book!"

The boys all hung their heads at this, but I didn't. It wouldn't matter to me; languages were one of those things that kept with me when I was reincarnated… even if I couldn't necessarily speak them on my own.

"It'll be okay once we get there!" HoroHoro declared.

"You have me as well," Bason added.

"Oh, that's right," Yoh said in realization, and I almost wanted to laugh as we set off running again.

"Besides," HoroHoro said, "if you go back to get it and Anna finds you, what are you gonna do?"

Yoh laughed. "You got that right."

We jogged the path that cut through the cemetery, and I frowned. Something was wrong…

"At this time," Amidamaru said to Yoh, "this place should be filled with spirits."

My mouth hung open slightly as I looked around. Not a soul in sight, or sense. Where were they?

"What happened here?" Manta asked.

"Did they move out or something?" Yoh inquired as we passed by a few bottles of sake.

"Why would they do such a thing?" HoroHoro said this time.

Suddenly, I heard a _thud_, and Amidamaru exclaimed, "My gravestone!"

Looking up, I saw two figures outlined against the moon under the tree on the hill of the cemetery. Guitar music started to play for a moment before it stopped, and one of them spoke.

"We cleared the spirits who were here, Asakura Yoh!"

My eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean by that?" Amidamaru demanded, while Yoh asked, "Why do they know me?"

They laughed and pointed. The first one said, "We will push away the bad spirits that exist in this world!"

"We will punish those who help the evil spirits!" the other one declared.

"For the day when we become big!" The first one raised his fist.

"To become Shaman King!" The second raised his fist as well, crossing it with his assumed partner in crime.

They did a pose, and the first said, "My name is Hijiri Zen!"

They did another pose, and the second rose and said, "My name is Kamishiro Ryo!"

They jumped down, and landed on a gravestone. "Together, our name is Zenryo!"

I sweat-dropped, mouth hanging open like the others. These two were… not right in the head. No, _definitely _not right in the head.

There was suddenly great laughter, and I looked around to see Ponchi and Conchi tearing up with laughter, an embarrassed Tamao standing between them.

"They look pathetic," Ponchi cried. "Are they dumb or what?"

"And that guitar!" Conchi hooted. "It's so ugly!"

"That's so mean…," Tamao said, hand in front of her mouth. "For speaking the truth…"

"Evil spirits like that should be punished!" the duo Zen and Ryo shouted, suddenly pulling out their guitars and playing a weird, bash-y tune.

"What the heck?" Yoh asked, eyes narrowed.

I was looking at the duo as if they were crazy - which they appeared to be. What were they trying to do?

"The song is… just like chanting a prayer to the Buddha," I heard Amidamaru say.

"Ponchi! Conchi!" Tamao cried; I looked up to see the fox and the raccoon floating upwards toward the heavens, their faces smiling in bliss.

They were sending the spirits to the afterlife!

"My… My Ponchi and Conchi have passed away!" Tamao's face was contorted with shock.

"What?" Yoh breathed. "Could this song…"

There was a sort of cry, and I looked to see Amidamaru and Bason floating away much like Ponchi and Conchi had.

"Amidamaru! Bason!" Yoh cried, holding up his hand towards them as if he could try to call them back.

"They've passed away," Manta said, mouth hanging open.

I turned to Zenryo, along with HoroHoro. "What do you think you're doing?" the Ainu demanded.

"Our wishes are to push away all evil spirits," Zen explained.

"And to become big," Ryo added.

They did poses again, and Zen said, "To do that, we have to strive to become Shaman King."

"Destroy the rivals!" Ryo exclaimed.

"I see!" HoroHoro said in realization. "They're planning to destroy strong enemies before the Tournament."

"Now listen to this, everyone!" Zen shouted, while Ryo said, "Our new song that was just created! _Die, Die, Evil Spirits!"_

They struck a chord on their guitar, and tiny little blue spirits - Chimimouryo - suddenly whisked past HoroHoro and me and struck Yoh, knocking him to the ground.

HoroHoro pulled out his snowboard, and I reached for Nix, but found that I couldn't find him. My first thought was that he had abandoned me in this fight like he had with Faust, but when HoroHoro landed beside me with a crash, I saw that Zen was holding two mortuary tablets, one holding Kororo, one holding Nix. My mouth hung open. Nix couldn't be captured…

HoroHoro screamed, and suddenly the Chimimouryo were not only attacking him, but they knocked me flat onto my stomach, bombarding me-

Intense pain shot through me as one landed right on my mark, and everything else was drowned out. I shut my eyes tight, opening my mouth in a soundless yowl of pain. I squirmed, trying to get out of reach of the attackers, but they wouldn't stop. I wished for unconsciousness to come, but it never would, not just because I was in pain, never just because of that.

I managed to flip over, dislodging the Chimimouryo that had been on my mark, and the pain faded instantly. I opened my eyes, the world beginning to come back to me, and I heard the word 'Hao-sama.'

My eyes widened. Hao-sama…? That meant Zenryo was working for Hao!

"Give me back Amidamaru," Yoh snarled, and out of the corner of my eye I saw that he had somehow managed to break free of the Chimimouryo that had attacked him, and was stalking toward Zenryo. "Give me back… Amidamaru…"

"Heh! But you're weak from using all of your furyoku!" Zen scoffed, and Ryo added, "But our furyoku's still full!"

They struck another chord, and more of the tiny spirits flew at Yoh. But before they could get to him, a figure appeared out of nowhere and sliced the spirits before landing smoothly in front of Yoh, the attack also freeing HoroHoro and me from the Chimimouryo. I wasted no time in getting to my feet to see that Ryu was the one who had saved us. I was never more happy in my life to have seen the greasy-haired pervert.

"Ume tree and bush warbler," he said 'poetically,' standing. "Pine and crane. Button and Chinese Lion. When you say Master Yoh, it comes with Bokotou no Ryu." He turned around to face Hao's minions.

"Hey you!" the Zenryo duo said, nervous. "Why are you speaking nonsense?"

Ryu narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"W-we're not afraid at all!" Ryo stammered.

"That's right!" Zen added. "We have this song to depend on."

"Do it," Ryu dared, holding up his wooden sword that was glowing purple with oversoul. "If you can!" he cried, slashing.

Zen and Ryo's mediums broke, as did the mortuary tablets holding Kororo and Nix, both of whom immediately came to HoroHoro's and my side.

"Weaklings should vanish," Tokagero sneered from behind Ryu's shoulder.

"Tokagero!" Yoh and Manta said in surprise; I had to share their concern, but it wasn't top priority with me right now.

Zen and Ryo ran away (thank the Great Spirit, they were annoying!), and we gaped at the strength that Ryu had possessed. "What in the world is going on?" Manta asked.

"He became a shaman," Silva explained- wait, when did Silva get here? I was tempted to call out to him with my mind and ask just that, but I held myself back.

"What? He became a shaman?" Yoh asked, surprised.

I remembered having felt the waves of shamanic energy coming off Ryu when I had last seen him, but now he seemed to be stronger.

"Yep," Ryu and Tokagero said in unison.

Immediately, the boys crowded around Ryu, asking him questions as to how he had become a shaman, to which he replied, "It's a long story…"

'_**Nix? How'd you get captured?'**_I asked, not paying attention to the banter.

'_**I allowed myself to be,' **_Nix explained patiently. _**'It would look suspicious if Kororo were to be captured, and not me.'**_

I sighed mentally. _**'You think about deception too much. I wish we didn't have to.'**_

'_**It's not our choice,' **_Nix pointed out.

()()()()()()()

We sat on the edge of Funbari Hill, watching the sun rise. I sat beside HoroHoro, who had given me a grin when I sat down. Tamao stood beside me, Yoh sat between Ryu and HoroHoro, and Manta sat on Ryu's other side next to the standing Silva.

"Is this Oracle Bell real?" Manta asked Ryu. "That means Ryu-san is also participating in the Shaman Fight!"

"I didn't expect Ryu's spirit to be Tokagero," Yoh added. He laughed. "It's getting interesting."

"That's not interesting at all!" Manta argued.

There was a pause. "I went on many journeys to find the Best Place," Ryu explained. "I started to think that the Best Place isn't something you find, it's something that you have to create. By becoming Shaman King." He stood. "Now, shall we go, Master Yoh?"

"What do you mean?" HoroHoro asked.

"To where Ren is, right?" Ryu asked.

I blinked, realizing that, in the onslaught of the Chimimouryo, I had forgotten completely about Ren for a while. Somehow, after hating him for so long, it felt… weird to have forgotten. I shook myself mentally. I was becoming as insane as Zenryo.

"Yeah." I could hear the smile in Yoh's voice, like always.

"What?" Manta asked. "You're telling me that you're going to rescue him together? Even though he gave you such a terrible experience?"

I stood, along with HoroHoro and Yoh, not entirely sure why I was going.

"I support the guy who does not have a place to go," Ryu explained to Manta. He turned back toward the rising sun. "I'm going to tell him… that the Best Place does exist."

"Wait a minute," HoroHoro said. "Besides Ryu, Tori, and me, what are you going to do with Amidamaru and Bason?"

"Ponchi and Conchi, too!" Tamao added.

Yoh smiled nervously and scratched his head. "I guess we have to ask Anna. We have no other choice."

"What do you mean by 'we have no other choice'?" came a familiar voice; I turned to see Anna coming up the shrine steps, followed by Pirika.

Soon, the spirits of the cemetery were back, as well as Ponchi, Conchi, Bason, and Amidamaru, the latter of which was hugging Yoh tightly while crying out.

"Sorry for causing you trouble, Anna," Yoh apologized, slightly embarrassed by his main spirit's clingy attitude. "But why are you here?"

"I came here to give you what you forgot to bring," Anna said, handing him a book. "Here, 'Chinese for Beginners.'"

I tuned myself out from their conversation, sensing that the rest was becoming private, and instead turning toward the rising sun, where the buildings of Tokyo were lining the sky. The Tournament was coming up fast, and I wondered if this would be one of the last times I - Tori - would see the city.

Yoh started down the steps, and I followed close behind, waving a goodbye to Anna. Manta called after us, and he and the rest of the traveling group trailed us as we hurried down the steps and onto the main path out of the cemetery, towards the train station.

As the train pulled out of Tokyo, I stared out the window. We were going to China, to the Taos. To help Ren, the person I hated most in the world. Or at least… I did hate him. I couldn't think straight. Just one look from him that wasn't anger, which might've just been my imagination, was making me act strangely. It was making me start to think that maybe he wasn't as bad as he seemed.

But what was I thinking? Ren had killed Chrom, he had almost killed _me,_ multiple times. There couldn't be an ounce of good in him, but…

I remembered that day that the aqua-haired girl had confronted Yoh. Ren could easily have killed me there and gotten off scot-free, but he hadn't. What had made him leave? Why hadn't he just killed me and gotten it over with? Then there wouldn't be the possibility that I would tell that he killed Chrom, not that I think he actually cared if I said anything - after all, I didn't know what the glare he had sent me that one night at dinner had really meant, if he had been daring me about Chrom or not.

I leaned my head against the cool glass of the window, deciding that I may as well get some rest. Thinking so much wouldn't help, anyways. Ren wasn't a problem that could be solved easily.


	22. The Five Deities Army

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King, obviously.**

_Decided to upload today instead of tomorrow - 'twas a snow day today, so I got SOME of my homework done (must not...keep writing...need to get...good grades... *dies*). I must say, snow is fun - there is currently an in-progress fort in the front yard where I shall rule all *evil grin* Me and HoroHoro'll have to throw snowballs at Hao to keep his fire-ness away. Manta can be our mascot, and Ren can be my bodyguard... _

_Oh, was that all out loud? *blushes* (ohmygosh, that gives me an idea, Ren as a snowman XD) Well, in any case, Ch20 was my favorite to write so far, and one scene in here is on my top 10 (though either in the next chap or the one after that... Oh, who am I kidding, I love almost all my scenes unless they suck). But, after... two chapters? No... Oh, my math is off, I'm sure, but we're gonna see Ren :D *dances*_

Normal text and "speaking," _thought, 'signing/mouthing.' **'telepathy.'**_

_Enjoy!_

**Twenty-Two: The Five Deities Army**

"It sure feels like China," Yoh commented as we floated on a raft down one of the clearest rivers I'd ever seen. Above us, the sky was blue, dotted with puffy clouds, and the weather couldn't have been nicer.

Which was sort of odd, since we w_ere_ going to face a nasty fight once we got to the Tao clan's estate.

"Yeah," Manta agreed with Yoh. Both of them were lying on their backs, enjoying the sunshine. I was sitting on the edge of the boat, with my feet in the water; my knee-length black tights were rolled up so there was no chance they'd get wet. Normally, I didn't like chilly water (I never stepped in a shower or onsen unless the water was steaming, actually), but I didn't want to just relax like Yoh was. The temperature of the water reminded me of where we were going, and who we were going to save.

"Air in China is delicious," Yoh went on, his relaxed air making him sort of ramble.

"You think so?" Manta asked.

"We gotta watch out for water that hasn't been boiled," Yoh warned.

"Yeah," Manta agreed. I saw him turn his head around. "But… What are they doing in a place like this?"

I glanced behind us to see Ryu and HoroHoro bickering over something or other; Ryu was using his wooden sword and HoroHoro an oar as they fought against each other. Men.

The battlers broke away from each other, and Ryu pointed a finger. "Do you understand? You should just row this boat!"

"What did you just say, bastard?" HoroHoro shot back.

Ryu's eyes darkened in a sort of self-appraising way. "I'm not trying to show off or anything, but: Master Yoh, one win, one loss, one draw." He held up a pad of paper for emphasis. "You're two wins, one loss. And I am all three wins! I qualify for the main Tournament without a doubt. You can basically call me a genius shaman. See?"

Where did he include me in this? My story was that I won two fights, but didn't go to the third fight at all. Maybe Ryu was just being sexist or something. But, eh, it didn't really matter.

HoroHoro hit the tip of Ryu's greasy hair with his oar. "Why are you talking so arrogantly when you've been a shaman for such a short time?"

"Seriously, what are they doing?" Manta mumbled, and I turned back to see Yoh sitting up.

"Don't worry about it," he assured, smiling. "More people in the group is a good thing."

_An annoying thing, too,_ I thought to myself.

"Well… you're right about that, but…," HoroHoro began, but Ryu made a face and he stopped, glaring at wielder of the wooden sword.

"I was surprised by the fact that Tokagero was your spirit," Yoh went on, and the bandit spirit himself appeared beside Ryu.

"There's no way that I'd just pass away like that," the lizard-y spirit scoffed.

"Damn it, Tokagero!" Ryu scolded. "Don't be talking smart to your master."

"Tokagero-" Amidamaru appeared behind Yoh "- I thank you for rescuing Yoh-dono yesterday."

"Hai, that was some big help," Yoh agreed.

Tokagero scratched his cheek in embarrassment at the praise, but then he gave a start and said, "You idiot! I'm staying in this world to defeat Amidamaru! I will not pass away until I do that."

I rolled my eyes. Again: men.

"Are you still talking about that?" Amidamaru asked.

Manta sighed. "Do you think everything will be fine if it stays like this?"

Yoh laughed. "It'll be all right." He paused. "Well, I'm worried about Ren, and that Hao person bothers me a little… But when we have friends, we can share our pain, and they'll cheer you up, too. Nothing good will happen if you strain yourself, that's how it is. Right?"

I looked at the water and smiled slightly. Yoh was right. But then again, I was the exception. No one could share my pain. I was alone, aside for Nix.

"Just watch me, master!" Ryu declared, snapping me out of my reverie. "Your friends are my friends as well! I, Bokotou no Ryu, will definitely rescue Ren!"

"You're the kind of person who would just rush into the enemy and be the first one to get killed," HoroHoro pointed out.

"Do they really know what they're doing?" Manta asked as the two started to bicker again.

"Everyone." Bason appeared in his spirit ball form beside Yoh. "I thank you for doing this for Bocchama."

"Ren is now our friend," Yoh explained, lying back down. "If he's in trouble, we'll help him."

Ren wasn't _my _friend. I didn't know why I was coming to help at all, other than the fact that I wanted to help Yoh and Manta.

"I don't really care about what's going to happen to Ren," HoroHoro said. I looked to see him grinning. "But if everything goes well, he's going to have to give us some real Chinese food."

"And when you say China, you gotta see the way chicks-" Ryu broke off when he saw the glare I gave him. "U-uh, never mind," he stammered.

Manta laughed. "Yep." He stood up. "Ren is waiting for us."

Bason started to cry. "Everyone, I thank you so much."

We continued to float down the river, though I noted that we weren't going nearly as fast as we should've been, as Ryu and HoroHoro were still arguing about who should row. At this point, I just wanted to get this trip over with, and I was becoming impatient (and me getting impatient was rare, and certainly not a good thing). So, I pulled my feet out of the water, not bothering to slip my shoes back on, and stood, stalking over to the unsuspecting duo and wrenching the oar from HoroHoro. If neither of these two were going to row, _I _would. I turned to the edge of the raft to put the oar in the water, when both of them started to protest.

"No! I can't let a lady row!" was Ryu's.

"T-Tori, I'll row-" HoroHoro began.

Immediately, I whipped around and smacked both of them over the head with the oar, just hard enough to knock them to the floor of the raft. For some reason, this made me smile, and without further interruption, I knelt at the edge of the raft and started paddling.

()()()()()()()()()

Following Bason's instructions, we were standing on the crest of a ridge at sunset, overlooking the Tao clan's estate… though 'estate' was too small a word. The house… palace… _whatever _you want to call it, it was huge, like a skyscraper, and just looking at it sent shivers up my back. You could feel the negative aura of the place from probably at least a mile away.

"This is Ren's house?" Yoh breathed.

"Would you call this a house?" HoroHoro asked, echoing my thoughts.

"When you think about it from the former Tao family, it's unbelievably small," said Bason.

"What?" Ryu was astounded.

"What's wrong, Kororo?" HoroHoro asked when his spirit let out a whimper.

I gave the Ainu an uneasy look. _'Can't you feel it?'_

It took HoroHoro a moment to understand my sign language, but before he could respond, Amidamaru came flying back in a rush.

"It's strange," the samurai said. "I don't see any enemies or suspicious people."

"Same here," Tokagero said, also coming to us after his scouting mission. "They're telling us to come in."

"Impossible!" Bason replied. "This place is the Tao family's sanctuary. There's no way Tao En wouldn't notice our existence."

"That means…," Amidamaru began.

"That means there are enemies who are stronger than normal kyonshii inside," Ryu finished, his tone seeming to welcome the challenge.

()()()()()()()()()

"The room called Ryuyou no Ma in which Bocchama is being imprisoned in is located on the second floor of the underground," Bason explained as we opened the front doors of the estate. "We're going straight to that place."

"You're telling me that we'll meet up with the keepers of this place," Ryu noted. "Heh," he joked, "it's dreadful."

"You're so pathetic, Ryu," HoroHoro scoffed; earlier, he had changed out of his usual jacket and was wearing a more appropriate outfit for battle, much like Yoh. "I'm getting pumped for it."

"What did you say?" Ryu asked, and the two glared at each other again.

Pumped? I was uneasy, second thoughts rifling through my head. I was risking my life for someone I hated to the core… well, at least, I thought I still hated him. Everything inside me was a mixed jumble that I didn't think I should be thinking about right then.

"Manta," Yoh began, "today's battle isn't like any other that I've been involved in. Stay close, okay? All you have to do is watch."

Manta nodded, in all seriousness. "Hai."

"Well, everyone," Bason prompted, and every one of us shamans oversouled our spirits so that the boys' weapons were powered up, and my wings protruded from my back. I felt Nix's consciousness in the back of my mind, as well; if it was needed, Nix would be able to speak for me.

"Let's go," Yoh called, and as one, we started running forward toward the double doors that led to the basement. Before we could get there, however, we stopped short when a razor-sharp sword imbedded into the ground just before us.

"That's as far as you're going to go!" called a voice, and we looked up to see five kyonshii figures standing atop the railing of the floor above us; each one seemed to have been sewn together with an animal of some sort.

"Heaven's justice! Earth's justice!" the same voice cried out from among them. "Demons who put justice out of order." As one, they finished, "We are the Five Deities Army! We will never forgive evil!"

"Five Deities…" Bason's spirit ball form was trembling.

"Kyonshii…," I breathed. They were frightening to look at.

"Hey you bastards!" HoroHoro screamed at them. "We're the good guys!"

"How can you call us evil?" Ryu accused. "Who the hell are you guys?"

Suddenly, the one with legs like a cheetah was in front of Ryu, and it slashed upward with a sword, sending Ryu down onto his back, his pompadour split in half.

"We already told you, we are the Five Deities," the cheetah-kyonshii spoke up. "You idiot."

"You bastards!" HoroHoro screamed after taking in Ryu's limp-like form.

Suddenly, four of the five kyonshii were in the air, aiming at us, while the fifth - the leader, apparently - stood by and watched.

I jumped one way, propelling myself with my wings, while HoroHoro scooped up Ryu, Yoh, and Manta, dashing the other way on his snowboard.

"Unbelievable," the white-clad kyonshii leader spoke up. "Two dodging the ultimate kyonshii attack, one of them also carrying three people."

"Hmph," HoroHoro said, glaring. "This is nothing, you horrible-looking toys."

I balked. HoroHoro was _taunting _these guys? They looked deadly enough already. Besides, I wasn't a great fighter - I was speedy, I supposed, but I didn't pack any sort of physical punch. Maybe my fire was powerful, but I rarely fought, so I couldn't be sure.

"Toys?" Bason repeated. "It's not good to get them angry!" he warned.

HoroHoro let go of Ryu, Yoh, and Manta, straightening up but shadowing his eyes. "Is it time to be scared, Bason?"

I blinked, realizing that HoroHoro had a point in the question. Now wasn't a time to be scared. Now was a time to swallow fear and be brave.

"Even though he just became a shaman," HoroHoro continued, "and he's annoying, he's one of our comrades." HoroHoro's snowboard glowed where he attached it to his arm. "I'm the one who's angry!"

"HoroHoro actually cared a lot for Ryu-san," Manta said, smiling.

"You noisy demons," one kyonshii continued, jumping into the air and aiming its elephant feet at HoroHoro. "Brat, I'll smash you!"

"Elephants should stay quiet in the zoo," HoroHoro said dangerously, his oversoul glowing as a sudden cold wind froze the elephant-kyonshii; with a screech, HoroHoro punched the ice block with his oversoul, shattering the kyonshii inside.

"That's amazing, HoroHoro!" Yoh exclaimed; I shared his amazement, though I shivered at the cold air in the room.

HoroHoro landing back on his feet. "This is my deadly blow," he explained proudly. "Nipopo Punch, which is ice condensed by oversoul." He pointed the weapon back at the Five Deities - or, Four, actually. "Who's next? You'll end up with more than frostbite."

"It doesn't matter what kind of attack you use…," the cheetah-kyonshii warned, dashing forward with unimaginable speed; in the blink of an eye, he was behind HoroHoro, his sword raised to slice him.

Before any of us could do anything, the cheetah-kyonshii was sliced in half by Ryu's oversoul.

I breathed a sigh of relief I hadn't known I'd been holding in.

"I was caught off-guard last time," Ryu explained to the remaining kyonshii. "I won't die so easily. The thing that makes me so angry is…" He pointed an accusing finger, and his voice rose considerably. "You guys cutting my ultra hearty hairstyle in half!" He stood up fully, and the two halves of his hair bounced comically.

"Huh?" HoroHoro seemed confused. "It looks good on you."

I would have slapped myself in the face if HoroHoro's tone hadn't been mocking.

"Why you-" Ryu began, but suddenly a snake-hand was clutching him by the neck, and HoroHoro was shielding himself from bullets with his oversoul.

"Doing the same mistake," the snake-kyonshii scoffed. "You really are an idiot!"

"HoroHoro!" I cried when a missile landed near the Ainu, and Yoh and I both began to rush to his rescue.

"Don't come!" HoroHoro insisted, stopping us in our tracks.

"M-Master Yoh, they're weaklings," Ryu said, still bound by the snake-kyonshii's arms.

"Let us handle this, you guys go get Ren!" HoroHoro continued.

I stared. How could we leave them? They were outnumbered!

"What are you talking about?" Manta asked, taking away my words. "You two-"

"Shut up!" HoroHoro screeched.

"These guys aren't even worthy enough to be Bokotou no Ryu's enemy," Ryu stated.

"Shark fin, kanidama, Maabonasu; Chinese food is waiting for me," HoroHoro said, as if food was the only thing in the world that mattered. To hell with their lives, it seemed to say to me.

"_Go!_" HoroHoro and Ryu insisted.

"Manta, Tori," Yoh said. "Let's go."

Not wanting to leave HoroHoro and Ryu but also not wanting to let my eyes off of Manta (I'd never forgive myself if he got hurt), I hurried after Yoh, one of my wings extended toward Manta as if I were shielding him. We passed straight through the room and to the doors, all the while being watched by the white-clad kyonshii…

When we came down the steps to the basement, we stopped. At the end of the hallway, in front of the doors that Bason had said lead to the dungeon, were two enormous kyonshii - not nearly as powerful-looking as the Five Deities had been, but menacing enough.

"The road is closed from this point on," one of them said. "We'll punish you if you break through, we, the keepers of Ryuyou no Ma."

"Golden brothers," the other insisted.

With a cry, one of them started forward.

"May I?" I asked quietly; with all this action, I hadn't even tried an attack, and I was starting to feel that if I didn't, I'd never be able to help myself if something happened.

"You have the honors," Yoh said as he and Manta stood back.

I stood, wings extended as fully as they could be in the claustrophobic corridor, and flapped them, their tips crossing in front of me. The attack was two fiery red slashes that crossed over one another like an X, and they hit the kyonshii as well as the door behind them. In a burst of dust, they disappeared, and I let Yoh walk in front of me as we entered the main dungeon.

"Yoh, I don't know what business you have here, but I'm glad you came this far." The voice, unmistakably Ren's, came from one of the nearest cells; we looked inside, and Jun was chained to one wall, while Ren, shirtless, bruised, and bleeding in a couple of places, was chained to what looked like a torture chair in the shape of a dragon. I felt sudden guilt for slapping him before.

"Yeah, all my comrades are strong," Yoh said complimentarily but it also sounded somewhat… silly for this sort of situation.

Yoh slashed at the bars, and they broke. We came in, and Yoh went to help Ren; after a moment of hesitation, I went over to Jun and helped to break her shackles. Her green hair was down and greasy, and she smelled like sweat and a few other things I didn't want to think about. Nevertheless, I kept the revulsion I felt off of my face and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Thank you," she breathed once the shackles were gone, wringing her hands and resting on her knees.

"You all right, Ren?" Yoh asked; I turned to see that he had unchained Ren from the chair.

Ren was massaging his wrists, as if to get the feeling back into them. Other than his tattered pants and shoes, the only thing he wore was his golden Oracle Bell. Even from here, I could tell he stank of sweat as well. Just looking at him sent another pang of guilt through my stomach. It was so strong that I didn't even try to think of Chrom to regain my senses that Ren was the bad guy.

"Of course," he answered to Yoh, his eyes closed as if the thought of himself not being 'all right' would be shameful. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

Yoh laughed, and Bason appeared in his spirit ball form next to Ren, crying. "Bocchama! I'm so glad!"

I, for one, stayed silent, having cut off my oversoul once the danger had passed. Not that I could think of any words to say, mind you. I was uncomfortable in Ren's presence; I had no clue what to feel about him anymore.

"Thank you Yoh-kun, and Tori-kun, for coming this far for Ren," Jun said gratefully.

Ren turned around, and it was like I'd been frozen.

There was a tattoo on Ren's back.

It was larger than mine, mine only covering the small of my back. His, his was set from one shoulder, to both his shoulder blades, and down near his opposite hip. It was the symbol of yin and yang set on a pattern.

Apparently… Ren and I were both marked people.

I was so shocked that it took me a moment to realize what Ren was saying.

"Go home if you're done with your business. I'm going to defeat that old man."

His words were hardly registering; all I could do was stare at his back and let the words slide through my ears, and I could only attempt at deciphering them. It took a moment, and not all of the words were sticking in my head, but I managed to get the gist of what he was saying.

By then, Yoh was speaking, though I didn't look at him. "You were locked up in here because you couldn't beat your old man, right? Do it next time, next time."

Ren pulled his Kwan Dao out of the ground from where it had been imbedded just outside the cell, holding it almost horizontally behind him, but it didn't cover any part of his tattoo. "A carefree bastard like you wouldn't understand. I'm not strong enough to stay a loser." He turned and started walking down the hall. "I'll thank you both for getting me out of here," he said without looking at us. Actually, he hadn't looked at me at all since we got here…

"Yoh-kun, he's going; let's bring him home!" Manta insisted.

Losing sight of Ren's tattoo accompanied by Manta's words snapped me out of my shock just enough to get me back to reality, but just enough to function.

"I guess we have no other choice," Yoh said, scratching his head. "I mean, that's how Ren is." With that, he hurried after Ren, and I followed, my steps somewhat unsteady. I found that if I quickened my steps, I didn't stumble as much. The logic of this didn't confuse me or anything; already, I was just out of it.

Ren and I were both marked. His tattoo probably was put there by his father to remind him of his duty, just like me… Or at least, I assumed this. My thoughts weren't running as smoothly as they should've.

Suddenly, I remembered that day he had found me in the woods. He could've killed me easily, but he'd let me go. Had he really seen my mark? Was that why he had left, because he knew exactly what it felt like to condemned?

_No, not condemned, _I told myself. _I'm honored to have this job. _And it was the truth.

"Wait Ren," Yoh called after the Tao. "Since we're tired, don't you think we should take a rest every once in a while?"

"You're the one who's tired," Ren shot back. He was stalking forward, his back hunched slightly; in the dim light, his tattoo seemed to shimmer slightly. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. "It's better for you to go home now."

"Then you're going to be lonely," Yoh pointed out simply.

Ren stopped and turned on a dime, pointing at Yoh. "I'm not lonely!" he screeched, his voice echoing through the hall. The echoing made the words sound false, almost as if the more often they were said the more faulty it became.

Yoh sighed. "You really hate your old man that much?"

Ren had turned to stalk again, but he stopped. "It's not that. I came here to destroy the hatred that I have in me. Look," he said. "With this emblem, my old man put hatred in me. A justice that can't trust anyone or anything… it's only to destroy. The hatred and emblem will never disappear. I'm going to put an end to the person who put this hatred in me, then overcome myself. This is just a selfishness. I can't let you… any of you die because of that reason."

My breath caught in my throat and I unconsciously touched the place on my back where I knew the mark was, where the Patch word was. So this was why Ren was so full of hate. His father. The tattoo. His explanation had resembled my own in some ways, his much, _much _more sinister than mine, but while he was subjected to a life of destroying, I had been doomed (no, not _doomed _- my thoughts were so unorganized that they were muddling the words in my mind, but I couldn't come up with a good word) to entire _lives _of being nearly unfeeling and shunned for the sake of a job that came once every five hundred years. But then again, I'd rather be unfeeling than consumed with hate and rage.

Yoh had walked up to Ren, and had an arm around his shoulder. "It'll be all right." When Ren said nothing, Yoh pressed on. "Honestly, you don't want to fight, do you?"

"I have no doubt in myself," Ren said quietly.

"Well, everything will be all right once we do it," Yoh said, arm still around Ren. "Let's all go together, okay?"

"Hmph," Ren snorted. "You really are a fanciful bastard."

Suddenly, there was a blast of sound, and the ground shook. Immediately, Ren clutched his Kwan Dao in both hands and ran past me towards the cell where I realized Jun sill was; quickly, Yoh, Manta, and I followed as well.

"Pailong!" Manta exclaimed, seeing the ex-movie star standing just before a rugged hole in the wall. "He was safe after all."

"Oh, it's you, Pai-"

I put my arm in front of Yoh, cutting off his sentence. The air around Pailong was full of tension, and I could sense that he was being controlled by some outside force. Even so, just seeing him reminded me of Tai, but I couldn't think about Maylin's brother right now - I already felt guilty enough about _Ren_, of all people.

"Don't let your guard down," Ren warned. "This is not the Pailong you know."

"What do you mean?" Manta asked from behind us.

"It's Father…," Jun explained from where she sat on the floor somewhat near Manta. "Father has turned Pailong into a kyonshii once again. Father's controlling him like a doll. And it's not just a normal kyonshii."

Just as she said this, Pailong's eyes glowed red, and he screamed, suddenly caught in a beam of violet light. I had to squint against it as well as the furyoku in the air.

When the light faded, Pailong wasn't standing in front of us - at least, not the _normal _Pailong. Instead, a dragon-like creature with a reddish mane and white wings glared at us.

"He turned him into a dragon!" Ren explained.

Before we could move, the dragon snarled and swiped at us with a forepaw, knocking Yoh, Ren, and me into the wall. I felt all the breath rush out of my lungs, and I gasped to try and get it back. As I struggled to stand, the dragon rushed at us, and crashed into the wall just a second after we managed to jump out of the way.

We couldn't oversoul, not against Pailong. Even if he was being controlled, Yoh and Ren couldn't hurt him because he was important to Jun, and I because he had been an important friend to Tai.

The dragon-Pailong kept pouncing at us, and we kept having to dodge. Though jumping and running were my strong points, its paw managed to clip me, scratching my upper arm shallowly but with enough force to send me flying headfirst towards the wall. Before I could get there, however, someone roughly grabbed my forearm and righted me on my feet.

"Be careful," Ren warned, a snarl apparent in his voice as he let go of me, almost with a shove.

I nodded, more full of guilt than ever about slapping him.

"Stay back!" Jun suddenly cried; we turned - keeping an eye on the dragon-Pailong in case he pounced again - to see her standing with a kyonshii talisman at the ready.

"What do you think you're doing, nee-san?" Ren asked.

"Initially, Pailong was controlled by my talisman," Jun explained. "I may be able to get him back from Father with my tag." She took a breath. "This is the only way!" she insisted, throwing the talisman.

It left her hand, but before it could get to the dragon-Pailong, Ren slashed it in half with his Kwan Dao.

"Don't do stupid things, nee-san," he warned, in a stance ready to dodge if Pailong attacked again. "I won't lose to a monster like this."

Yoh chuckled, and Ren glared at him, cheeks red. "Don't laugh!"

"You have some kind feelings in you," Yoh noted, grinning.

They turned their attention back to the dragon, thinking. I could barely do it myself, with all the dodging plus the fact that I was still not over the fact that Ren and I were more similar that I ever could have imagined, so I let them make up a plan.

Suddenly, Ren oversouled Bason into his Kwan Dao, holding the weapon at the ready.

"Ren?" Yoh asked, confused.

"Stop wandering around and start your oversoul, both of you!" Ren commanded.

"What?" I shared Yoh's confusion, if only because my mind seemed to be falling apart.

"You're slow, Yoh," Ren noted, not commenting on me because he'd neither been able to hear or see my reaction, due to me being slightly behind them. "This is Pailong with oversoul. He's controlling Pailong from far away with furyoku."

"Oh, that's how it is," Yoh stated. He grinned. "I guess I'll do it, then."

While he put Amidamaru into Harusame, I put Nix into my feather; for a second, I thought my oversoul seemed to flicker, and I shook myself mentally. I had to focus.

"That old man, didn't expect him to meditate oversoul to others," Ren grunted once we were all oversouled. "But," he added when we, as one, jumped out of the way of the dragon-Pailong's attack. "If it's an oversoul, all you have to do is destroy it with oversoul, then it's _possible!"_

He and Yoh together cried out that last part as we converged our three attacks to the tip of the dragon's nose. There was a burst of nearly blinding bluish light, and the oversoul dissolved into nothing, leaving Pailong lying on his back.

Jun knelt beside him and laid a hand on his head. "Thank you, Yoh-kun and Tori-kun. Thank you, Ren."

Yoh giggled, but we both turned at the sound of Ren's footsteps. "I'm going ahead," the Tao heir said shortly.

"What are you being shy about, Ren?" Yoh asked.

"Stop saying absurd things," Ren scoffed without looking at any of us. "Let's go already."

"Hey, wait," Yoh called as we hurried after him, leaving Jun in the cell with Pailong.

My eyes flitted to Ren's tattoo again as I followed just behind him and Yoh, but I forced myself to stop doing that. There'd be plenty of time to mull over the coincidence later; we had to get out of here as fast as possible.

"Ryu and HoroHoro are waiting ahead," Yoh said as we dashed up the last of the stairs and walked to the doors at the top.

"Yeah," Ren noted. "We're going to the highest level where Tao En is."

The doors opened with a creak, and what we saw made me want to cry out.

The two kyonshii that had been battling with HoroHoro and Ryu were nowhere to be seen; instead, the white-clad kyonshii was holding Ryu up by the neck, and held a limp-looking HoroHoro in its other hand. The two shamans' weapons were lying on the ground.

"Ryu! HoroHoro!" Yoh called.

The kyonshii turned its head to us. "You're finished," it said dangerously. In the blink of an eye, it was no longer in front of us; HoroHoro and Ryu fell to the floor.

Startled, I spun around to see the kyonshii standing there; immediately, Yoh, Ren, and I oversouled, but before we could attack, the kyonshii gave a kick that sent Yoh and Ren into the air before kicking me straight in the gut, causing me to fly backwards into the wall.


	23. Shamon Again

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. I do, however, own this cool, overlage yin-yang pendant I made in art...**

_Okie dokie, I have a bit of news: my sister is staying with us for Christmas, so for the next three weeks, well, I'll be busy with holiday stuff and whatnot, although I have no idea how this will effect my update schedule. In any case, any extra time I have that doesn't go into uploading will be to edit (and I mean EDIT) my nanonovel so that I can upload it, perhaps in time for Christmas (although there is not one Christmas-y scene in there anywhere XD). Speaking of Christmas, I kinda want to make a special oneshot, but I have no idea what I'd do, same for New Year's (Ren's birthday :D Last year I started my first SK fic on that day, even though I feel I could've done so much better with that XD). Ideas would be very helpful :D Though of course I'd give thank-yous if oneshots come out of them. I can't take all the credit._

_Anyways, bit of a filler, almost a useless episode if it wasn't centered around Ren. Next will be EPIC. Well, maybe just epic and not EPIC. But yeah, I can't wait till next chapter, which I hope to upload on the 14th (3 month anniversary, I want to make it a double-upload so that we get to see He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Revealed-As-Yoh's-Twin-Until-Later! Woo!). I wish it would snow more here. I need to make a Snow-Ren._

Normal text "speaking," _thought, 'signing/mouthing,' **'telepathy.'**_

_Enjoy!_

**Twenty-Three: Shamon Again**

My head smacked painfully against the wall, and my vision flickered. I struggled to move, though it was so much easier to just lie there. But Yoh… Ren… They needed my help. Ryu and HoroHoro… they were unconscious, weren't they? The details were becoming incredibly hazy, the sounds of battle reaching my ears only faintly.

"Tori-kun!" a familiar voice prompted, nudging my shoulder. At this point, I wanted to swat whoever it was away so that I could black out in peace, but when I opened my eyes blearily, I recognized Manta beside me.

"Tori-kun!" Manta prompted again, eyes full of concern. "Wake up! You have to help!"

Seeing Manta made me realize just how important it was to get up, and using the wall as a support, I struggled to my feet. I held my pounding head with my hand, and looked up just in time to see HoroHoro and Ryu supporting an exhausted-looking Yoh.

"You bastards, you still had the strength to stand up…" The kyonshii trailed off angrily as he looked at them.

"These cockroaches are quite stubborn," Ren noted from where he knelt a little way's away from the kyonshii.

"What? Who're you calling cockroaches?" Ryu asked indignantly.

"We came this far for you, bastard!" HoroHoro added.

Ren stood up fully, smirking slightly. "I don't remember asking for it."

"Indeed, I don't remember you asking for help," Yoh added, looking as if he was dizzy.

"Oh well, looks like you're quite vigorous for now, eh Ren?" HoroHoro asked.

"Hmph. Stop talking to me like that," Ren commanded.

"Why you little…!"

Seeing this banter made me a little pissed off for some reason, and I realized that the headache was starting to recede. Quickly, I oversouled again, though I felt a little unsteady as I did so.

"Oh dear," the kyonshii said, turning to Yoh, Ryu, and HoroHoro. "Looks like I wasted some time by using worthless Daodan Do."

…_Daodan Do?_

"Heh, you have a big mouth," Ryu said, smirking a challenge.

"I'm finally starting to warm up," HoroHoro said, his snowboard glowing with oversoul.

"Well then," Yoh said, standing up, "let's be serious."

Though my head was still pounding slightly, I took a few steps forward, breathing a small sigh of relief that they were steady.

Ren's expression only vaguely showed that he was impressed. "Coming this far. You guys are lucky."

With that, all five of us rushed at the kyonshii. Its body started glowing with oversoul. "How cocky," it taunted.

HoroHoro shot a flurry of snowballs at it, but easily it dodged every one. Ryu tried to slice at it, but it jumped over him. Ren sent a volley of stabs at it, but the kyonshii leaned out of the way of every one. Yoh sliced much like Ryu had, but the kyonshii merely ducked. Knowing what was coming, I flapped my wings to force a fiery wind at it, and although my attack range was wider that the boys', the kyonshii sidestepped it.

As one, all five of us charged it, but the kyonshii didn't even have to retaliate; it only dodged.

Though I did have good stamina and furyoku level, I had little experience in fighting; my job wasn't to fight, it was merely to watch until the time came to stop. I'd seen a million and one strategies of fighting, but I couldn't execute any of them successfully, and I didn't think now was the time to try anything that I didn't know how to do. One mistake could mean death here, and if I died before I helped the Shaman King, well… it'd never happened before, but it couldn't be good.

I narrowly avoided being hit by both Yoh and HoroHoro as they collided by accident, and I attempted to strike the kyonshii while it was distracted by avoiding Ryu's and Ren's attack; with ease, the kyonshii sidestepped me, and kicked me in the back to send me away. The instant its foot touched my mark, my body was enveloped in absolute pain, and Nix, sharing every bit of pain that I felt, couldn't stop me from letting out a scream at the spiritual contact with my mark. The scream only lasted a second before I hit the floor, however, and it sounded more panicked than painful.

"Tori!" Instantly, HoroHoro was at my side as I gasped, standing up as quickly as I could, the pain having had faded as fast as it had come.

"I'm all right," I choked out, voice hoarse as I took a ready stance.

HoroHoro looked doubtful, but he didn't press the subject and turned back to the battle, which seemed to have come to a lull.

"Yoh-dono, his movement…," Amidamaru began and both he and Yoh glared at the kyonshii.

"It's quite familiar," Yoh agreed.

"Of course it's familiar!" Manta called. "You've united with him before! By not ignoring the opponent's movement and fending off, he will entice self destruction."

"Eijuken…," Yoh noted. "You mean…"

"I can't believe it myself, but I can't think of anyone else," Manta continued, and for once, I wished he would just get to the point. "That kyonshii, it's Shamon!"

Shamon? Pailong's Kung fu master! Of course! Now that I thought about it, I could just _barely _recognize Shamon's voice. No wonder he was able to dodge all of our attacks and talked about Daodan Do.

"But Shamon was a weak old man!" Yoh protested, nervous at his own confusion. He pointed at the kyonshii. "It's hard to believe that kyonshii is Shamon."

"That's what it is," Ren explained. He looked almost… proud? No, not that… more like acknowledging that his enemy was a worthy opponent. "What Manta is saying is right. The Five Deities are a kyonshii army that was altered to the max. He was probably made by using Shamon's dead body. That's why he can use Pailong's Daodan Do."

Shamon's…dead body? I knew kyonshii were corpses, but still, hearing it said aloud sent a shiver up my spine for some reason.

"Indeed," the kyonshii agreed. "I am Shamon. Rather, a _surpassed _Shamon. With the body Tao En gave me, my attacks are a lot stronger than when I was alive." As he said this, Shamon half-pulled off the mask on his face and revealed his purple, dead skin.

I gagged slightly, but quickly crouched into a ready stance. Usually, I could take stuff like this; getting hit in the head must've screwed me up more than I thought.

"Alteration of a dead body… that's horrible," HoroHoro said beside me.

"Tao En would do anything to achieve his goal," Ren grunted, gritting his teeth.

"It's for justice," Shamon explained. In the blink of an eye, he'd kicked both Yoh and Ren down, then punched Ryu, and kicked HoroHoro and me down, HoroHoro landing backward on top of me. I pushed him off, and he helped me to my feet before we went back to charging at Shamon, who just couldn't be hit.

Shamon picked up Ryu like a doll and threw him into HoroHoro, Ren, and me, knocking us backwards. I was being crushed under their combined bulk, but luckily my back was to the floor. I grunted at their weight, though as soon as HoroHoro and Ren realized that they were on top of a _girl, _they pushed Ryu off (who seemed winded) and jumped to their feet; HoroHoro looked angry as well as embarrassed, but Ren just looked angry, glaring at the figure of Shamon.

I scrambled to my feet just in time to see Shamon rushing towards Yoh, arm extended to break his neck. My eyes widened, but before anyone could do anything, Shamon was held back by Pailong, who quickly let go to punch the Deity kyonshii away.

Wait, Pailong? _When'd he get here…? _

"Nee-san!" Ren gasped; I turned to see Jun standing in the doorway to the basement, her eyes shadowed.

"Oh dear," Shamon said. "You too, Jun?" There was an echo to his voice, and I realized that someone - probably En, leader of the Tao clan - was speaking through him.

"I was too lenient," Jun began quietly, but her voice became stronger as she went on. "I didn't want to fight if I didn't have to."

Jun began to put her hair back up in its usual style. "I thought it was okay as long as I live without hurting people." There were audible _clicks _as she put her purple hair clips into place. "But as I watched pitiful Pailong-" she closed her eyes "-I had to cut off the chain that creates sorrow." She put the final hair clip into place.

"You're talking nonsense," Shamon accused.

Jun fanned out her talismans in front of her face almost innocently. "Not really. I have no doubt in my mind. I've already decided."

"Looks like I haven't punished you enough yet," Shamon said, his voice echoing strongly with En's as his body glowed golden with furyoku. He dashed forward, but Pailong stood in front of Jun protectively.

"Pailong, do you think a pupil can beat the master?" Shamon asked, continuing to hurtle forward.

"You're not my master, Shamon!" Pailong jumped straight into the air. "You have no right to insult my master's body!" he cried as he slammed his heel into the back of Shamon's head.

With that, Shamon, who had eluded all of _our _attacks, fell over, glowed, and exploded into bits of dust and light. Pailong jumped back to Jun's side as if nothing had happened.

"A man who does not have feelings has no right to live," Jun stated (if I hadn't been shocked enough already, I would probably have felt uncomfortable at that statement). "It's impossible for a dead body to live without a soul."

We all stood, gaping at how easily Jun had appeared, and how Pailong had destroyed Shamon with just one attack. In the shock, our oversouls had deactivated.

"Amazing," Yoh breathed.

"Nee-san… has lost her self-control?" Ren asked, unsure of how to take Jun's sudden appearance.

There was a slight pause. "And I fell in love," Ryu said simply.

While the boys looked at Ryu confusingly (Ren growling to himself), I slapped my forehead with my palm.

()()()()()()()()

"What the heck?" Yoh asked. "You're going already, Ren? I wanna rest a little."

Exhausted from the battle, we were resting around the room; Yoh on the floor with Manta, I next to HoroHoro on the stairs, Ryu on the other side of him (though I was on a lower step). Ren had begun walking up the other set of stairs, and had stopped at the sound of Yoh's voice. Once again, I found myself staring at Ren's tattoo.

"Rest as much as you want," the Tao offered harshly. "I no longer have any business with you all."

"What's that supposed to mean?" HoroHoro asked.

Ren looked over his shoulder, holding his Kwan Dao with one hand, but his eyes seemed to ignore me and he focused on HoroHoro and Ryu. "I'll say thanks for coming here. You can go home now."

Ryu and HoroHoro both made sounds of outrage, but my eyes were glued to the tattoo. It was stupid to stare at it, I knew; it was just a coincidence, anyway. I mean, the reasons we both were marked could have been pretty similar - to serve as a reminder - but there was nothing to _do _about it.

For a split-second, Ren's eyes caught mine, and I looked down immediately; it felt like I'd been caught with a hand in the cookie jar or something. I felt another pang of guilt for slapping him. But at the time, he deserved it… didn't he?

I heard HoroHoro stand behind me, and turned to look at him as he said, "Don't cross that line."

Ryu stood and dusted off his pants. "We came this far, I have to meet with your old man." He stood up fully and pulled at his overlarge collar. "I'm well-mannered."

Ren glared. "That kind of joke won't work in this place," he snarled; I turned to look at him so I could follow the conversation. He suddenly looked confused. "Actually, who the hell are you?"

He seemed to shake the question off and turned back toward the stairs, though his head was still turned around at us. "It's none of your business. This is my own fight."

I blinked. Had he been looking at me when he said that?

I'd never know, because the next moment, Ren was completely turned and walking up the stairs, Bason following him obediently.

HoroHoro sighed in exasperation. "Fine. Do whatever you want."

Ren just barely glanced back. "I would have, even if you didn't mention it."

"Well then," HoroHoro shot back, "I'll do whatever I want as well."

"Your selfishness is our selfishness," Ryu added.

Confused, I turned around to see HoroHoro forcefully rest his snowboard against the ground. "If you don't want us to meddle, we'll just shut up and watch you. But no way in hell am I going back now."

Ren was silent, and HoroHoro and Ryu walked off the stairs. I stood on the stairs in silent agreement; we'd come too far to just walk away now.

"I mean," Ryu continued with a wave to Jun, "I want to get along with Jun-san."

"Bakana!" Ren exclaimed, turning around fully toward us. "Hurry up and go home!"

"I told you, no!" HoroHoro chanted childishly.

"I said go home!" Ren insisted harshly. He turned around with a grimace, as if he couldn't bear to look at us, and spoke quietly. "I don't want to see you guys get beaten."

My mouth dropped slightly. Ren was… Had he really… changed?

"I apologize," Jun said. Her expression was hardened. "This is the Tao family's problem. We can't let you get involved in this from now on."

"Looks like we won't be able to do that," Yoh said, standing up and accepting Harusame's sheathe from Manta.

There was a silence, but before anyone could speak, there was a creaking sound, and my head snapped up to see the double doors opening to reveal an _army _of kyonshii dragging their feet towards us.

"We can't go home like this." Yoh chuckled.

"Heh," HoroHoro scoffed. "Is it a time to laugh?"

"Looks like we have to fight no matter what," Ryu added.

"Damn that Tao En," Ren hissed.

The talismans on the kyonshii army suddenly glowed, and immediately, we oversouled, preparing for battle. I braced myself, my feet on two different steps, my wings spread out.

I let Pailong and the boys make their moves first, so that by the time Ren (who was last) had attacked, the kyonshii seemed to have disappeared entirely in the smoke.

"Amazing," I heard Manta breathe.

"I think we can win no matter how strong the enemy is!" Ryu declared.

"You got that right," HoroHoro agreed.

"There's more," I said quietly as I stared at the smoke.

HoroHoro turned to me, incredulous. "What? There can't be-"

To prove the point, I flapped my wings forcefully to blow away the smoke, revealing even more kyonshii staggering towards us.

HoroHoro blinked. "Oh."

"How many of them are there?" Ryu asked.

"I've never counted them before," Ren stated simply.

"Maybe we should've gone home," HoroHoro said, eyes wide.

The kyonshii started to move faster, and the others ran up the stairs after Ren; I followed last, using my wings to launch myself over to the stairs. When I landed, I crouched low and flapped fiery wind at the kyonshii, causing a good number around the stairs to burn and turn to ash. But there was still almost innumerable ones left.

The kyonshii jumped up onto the floor where the stairs led, bypassing me entirely. I flapped more fire at the ones that had stayed, then hurried up the stairs after the others, who were surrounded.

I swept a small number of them aside with one wing (sending fiery air here might burn the others), and I was about to do it again when I realized that the kyonshii had stopped attacking. Confused, I stopped attacking and let them shuffle past me back down the stairs, and watched as they left the room.

"Looks like the entertainment ends now," Ren said.

"Entertainment?" Manta repeated.

I turned to see that Ren was standing in front of _huge _double doors. Slowly, all of us crowded around him expectantly. I stood beside Jun.

"_Tangen no Ma_. He's at the other side of this door."

"We finally get to meet him," HoroHoro said with controlled excitement.

"He's the person you don't want to meet," Ren contradicted. "No… he's a monster. This is your last chance to go home," Ren warned. "If you don't want to get killed, go home without wasting time."

Killed… It was nothing new for me, but it wasn't pleasant in the least. Plus, if I died before I helped the Shaman King… I don't know what would happen. I wouldn't be able to reincarnate in time to help. Besides, why should I die for the sake of helping Ren?

But there was no turning back now.

"Don't worry about it, Ren," Yoh appeased. "It's better to fight together!" He chuckled.

Ren seemed resigned to Yoh's attitude and walked forward. "Stay quiet in the corner," he commanded.

"Yeah, yeah," HoroHoro and Ryu replied in unison.

Ren placed his hand on the door and spoke quietly. "Trusting only dead people, and the justice in which everything should be destroyed… I'll put an end to this!"

I found myself biting my lip. If things went wrong in there… I'd have to put my duty first and leave while I was still alive. I know that I'd forever regret it if I did, but… the world was more important than these people around me.

"Ren!" Jun suddenly said.

Ren turned to her and gave a small, reassuring smile, and she visibly relaxed.

Ren's expression hardened as he turned back to the door. He forcefully pushed in open, the sound of them opening reverberating in the silence.

We slowly walked into the room, and each breath I took began to feel heavier than the last. The tenseness of the situation was beginning to make me panic slightly. I forced myself to take slower breaths.

"No one is in here," Manta said, his voice sounding strangely loud.

"Hey Ren, is this the right room?" Yoh asked.

Ren was looking around the room. "Like I said, he's a monster."

"Calling Papa a monster," a voice sounded out from seemingly nowhere, and we all tensed. "How cruel."

"Where is he?" HoroHoro asked.

"What? Papa?" Manta repeated from behind us.

"How much longer are you going to disobey Papa to satisfy yourself?" the voice - En - asked. "Ren!"

With an almost deafening crash, a figure that could only be described as a _giant _fell down from the ceiling, its landing causing a cloud of dust to rise.

"Who the hell is this guy?" HoroHoro asked. "He just came down with his chair so suddenly!"

"He's huge," Yoh added disbelievingly.

"This is Ren's old man?" Ryu exclaimed.

Tao En - Ren's 'old man' - was ten times the height of Ryu, and his gut was as wide as a small hill. His well-muscled arms were as thick as the trunk of an oak, and his hair and nose were extremely pointy. On his stomach was an enlarged tattoo similar to the one on Ren's back.

"Welcome," En greeted. "Seems like my Ren is causing you some trouble."

Intimidated, I shrunk back a step. An unbelievable amount of furyoku radiated off of him, and immediately I could tell that this _thing_ could only be oversoul. No person could ever be that huge.

"I am very troubled," En added.

"Look out!" Jun cried as En raised his hand, extending his arm with the speed of a bullet. His hand crashed into the floor right where we had been standing, but we had managed to dodge. Incredibly afraid, I oversouled Nix again, and prepared myself in case I had to fly out of the way.

When the smoke cleared away from my face, I realized that Ryu and HoroHoro were speeding at En, apparently ignoring Ren's previous words. Using their most powerful attacks, they struck En, and the Tao exploded apart, only to reappear behind Ryu and HoroHoro and smack them down into the ground.

My blood ran cold as En turned to us slowly and chuckled darkly.


	24. Tao En

**DISCLAIMER: Shaman King is not mine, it's Hiroyuki Takei's. (please tell me I spelled that right.) The only characters I own are Tori, Nix, and Tai.**

_Woo! Three-month aniversarry! *throws confetti* Once again to celebrate, a double-update. :D_

_When I looked at this chapter, I was like "o.o what the hell did was I doing while writing this?" Because seriously, I left out major things that Ren said. I mean, seriously, I left out parts of REN. O.O I think I was insane at the time, or more than I already am. But in any case, I LOVE my scenes in here 8D *dances* Another thing - I FINALLY figured out just how this'll all end :D Even though the thought of the end makes me depressed D8_

Normal text and "speaking," _thought, 'signing/mouthing,' **'telepathy.'**_

_I hope you like :D_

**Twenty-Four: Tao En**

"What in the world is going on?" Ryu asked after he and HoroHoro recovered enough to rush back over to us as we all stared up at Tao En, the being that was literally larger than life.

"Were you watching?" HoroHoro suddenly asked Manta. "What just happened?"

"I don't know," Manta answered, almost panicked. "When I thought you guys attacked him, he transferred to another place and was untouched."

"I guess it means he isn't a hallucination," Yoh said.

"That's not something that a human can do," Amidamaru added. "Who is he?"

I opened my mouth to point out that _this _was an oversoul, but before I could speak, Ren spoke. "He's my old man. And the sources of hatred. You people stay back. This is my own fight."

I shut my mouth as Ren oversouled Bason into his Kwan Dao and launched himself at his father. "I'll put an end to his, Tao En!" he screeched, swinging his weapon forward to assail En with his _Chuuka Zanmai _attack.

"What are you aiming at?" En asked, suddenly ten feet away from Ren, who looked at him in shock.

"It happened again?" Yoh exclaimed.

"It looked like Ren's attack was connected for sure!" Amidamaru pointed out. "But why did he miss?"

"I don't know what's going on," HoroHoro said in confusion.

"Don't you-" I broke off when I saw that En had the top half of his son trapped in his fist.

"I'm dealing with my guests. Stay quiet for a while," he commanded, throwing Ren into the wall, where the Tao heir fell to the floor.

"Ren!" Yoh and I exclaimed in unison.

Ren struggled to look at us form where he lay on the floor. "Escape from this place," he pleaded, his voice laced with pain.

"Caring for others." En sighed. "How pathetic. All of these things are you peoples' fault!"

His arm extended again, and I launched myself into the air to escape, keeping myself aloft with my wings.

"Giving a doubt in my son's mind," En continued. "Atone with your life!"

En swatted at me with an elongated arm, and I dodged out of range, only to be hit by his other hand in the side. "Insolent fly," he scoffed as I spun through the air, slamming into the wall and falling to the floor with a thud.

'_**We have to escape,**_**' **Nix insisted in my mind as he appeared next to me.

I lifted my head up through the pain, and knew that it would take a lot for me to stand. I squinted against the aching in my muscles, and realized that I had landed near Ren. He was watching the battle with narrowed, pained eyes, and for a moment, they met mine.

'_I'm sorry,' _I mouthed.

His gaze hardened as he recognized what I meant. "Don't say it if you don't mean it," he hissed, wincing at his pain. "Get out of here while you can."

I felt Nix approve of his latter words, urging me to leave. Leaving would be the smart thing to do. It would save me, as well as help the world once I aided the Shaman King.

But even though I had seen the absolute worst from Ren, there _was _good in him. I couldn't leave him and the others to die without at least _trying _to help.

I shook my head in response to Ren, as well as Nix.

Ren growled and struggled to move his muscles as En spoke. I, knowing that it would be another moment to regain enough sense to stand, just listened.

"Humans become weaker when they have something to depend on," he said, bringing his massive bulk to a standing position. I noticed with a burst of panic that he had smashed HoroHoro and Ryu into the floor, and Pailong into a wall. "Because he tried to trust you people, Ren was doubtful and became weak."

"I don't think of it that way," Yoh argued lightly. "I like Ren more now compared to when I met him for the first time."

Ren managed to have enough strength to clutch at his Kwan Dao. "Yoh…"

I, not having been thrown as hard as Ren, struggled to my hands and knees, gasping with the effort, and watched.

"Asakura Yoh," En growled. "You're the source of evil."

"I like Ren now, more than before," Yoh declared. "That's why I came here."

"Nonsense!" En shot his arm at Yoh again, who dodged and slashed at En with his _Shinkuu Buttagiri_. Before the attack could fully emerge from his blade, En caught it with his hand and managed to push Yoh away. Yoh fell to the ground, Amidamaru cushioning his fall. Immediately, En aimed a punch at him, and I just about felt my heart-

"_Stop_!"

Before En could smash Yoh like a bug, he froze, Ren having managed to stab him straight in the back with his oversoul.

"Once again, you worry about others," En said, now sitting back on his chair as Ren landed unsteadily on the ground, panting slightly. "Everyone has their own path, and those paths are never the same. Humans can't understand each other. Your feelings are captured by a thing called 'friends.' That's the reason why you got lost in your path."

"Speak all you want!" Ren dashed forward, screaming as he slashed at empty air.

"Doubt makes strength become less capable," En explained as he reappeared behind his son.

Ren swung his Kwan Dao around and decapitated En. As Ren panted, En's head hovered in the air and studied his body.

"Looks like you've completely become a coward," En sighed, his body swatting Ren aside. "In that case… _Die_!"

_REN!_ I wanted to scream, unable to take my eyes away from the oncoming murder. But before En could squash his son, Yoh appeared, blocking the attack with his oversoul.

"I won't let Ren die!" Yoh declared.

"How idiotic," En's head snarled, his body punching Yoh aside so that he fell to the ground with a thud.

Immediately, I pushed away my pain and struggled to my feet, stumbling to Yoh's side. Was he…?

I let out a sigh of relief when I saw the faint rise and fall of his chest, and fell onto my knees, struggling to stay upright for just a second before I fell over, just barely managing to catch myself with my hands before I broke my nose on the floor. Just one hit… from an extremely powerful oversoul…

I lifted my head just enough to see a shadow fall over Ren's back, which was turned to me. _The moon must be covered by a cloud… _I thought dimly, just barely managing to keep my head up.

"All of your friends are now annihilated," En stated, fully whole once again and seated on his giant throne. He paused for the information to sink in. "Enough already, Ren. Just listen to what I say and go to the path where the Tao family is supposed to go. Look at the end of the people who were deluded by a worthless thing called friendship."

'_**Get up,' **_Nix pleaded. _**'Run. Get away.' **_His attempts were in vain, for even if I could stand, I wouldn't be able to go five steps without En ending me. We were all going to die here, in this terrible place…

"Friendship made them lose sight of their own path," En continued (this in particular stung me). "As a result, they challenged me, forgetting about themselves. 'Trust' made them lose their own sight. How pathetic."

The light reappeared from the moon, illuminating Ren's tattoo. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that," he said quietly.

En jumped to his feet. "Oh! Do you finally understand me?" he asked, dancing with joy.

"That's why I fight," Ren continued. "To repay for their desires… I will defeat you."

En froze. "What are you talking about?"

I saw Ryu rise to his feet. "You're asking what? Take it as he said."

"Rather, it kinda tickles me when he says 'repay,'" HoroHoro added, standing as well.

Pailong pulled himself out of the wall, and I, realizing that we couldn't let Ren down, that we had to fight to get out of here alive, struggled to my feet behind them. I grit my teeth, but oversouled immediately all the same.

"Impossible!" En cried. "Why do you all stand up? You already see the difference between our strengths."

Yoh walked out in front of us, appearing to be completely fine. "Don't you know already?" he asked nonchalantly. "We came here to help Ren out."

"Why?" En spat, growing visibly agitated and nervous. "How can you stand up after you've taken so much damage? For others, why?"

"I don't get it either," Ren replied quietly. He turned his head to look at the guys, and I saw his eye dart to me for a split-second. "But if I was in their situation, I would probably be doing the same thing as them."

There was a slight noise, and I blinked. Ren's tattoo was gone. _Gone_.

He was… free.

En growled in rage. "Impossible!" he screamed.

HoroHoro and Ryu dashed at him, but he dodged easily, also evading the attack from Pailong. I launched myself into the air and sent fiery wind at him, but he evaded that attack as well, and I landed back onto the ground. Yoh slashed at him, but En held the attack with his arm brace.

"How are you able to trust in others that much?" En demanded, pushing Yoh away.

"_Golden Chuuka Zanmai!_" Ren cried, stabbing En repeatedly before he fell back to the ground, landing easily on his feet.

En swayed, his entire body looking like it had been made from Swiss cheese. "I won't admit it," he declared after a wobbly moment, regenerating his skin to replace the wounds. "I will…absolutely… not admit it! I will not admit it!"

My eyes widened, remembering that I hadn't been able to speak before. "He's an oversoul!" I called, just before I had to dodge his arm again.

"Of course!" Yoh cried as I landed behind him and Ren. "No human like this exists in the world."

"I will not admit it!" En repeated, running to punch at Ren.

As one, Yoh and Ren combined their attacks against En, who yelled as he toppled over backwards.

"Wasn't that punch lighter?" Yoh noted to Ren.

"No matter how big the oversoul is," Ren explained, "if the mind that creates it becomes entangled, it becomes brittle. You were the one who taught me that, Yoh," Ren confessed.

"Is that so?" Yoh asked, obviously trying to remember.

"Oh well," Ren said, resigned to Yoh's absent-mindedness as we watched En slowly rise to his feet. "Looks like he couldn't understand our behavior. It seems that it was directly opposite the idea for him. That's what made his mind entangled. The mind which creates furyoku becomes weak, power to create oversoul becomes weaker."

En was panting heavily. "Me? Entangled? That's nonsense! The path I follow has no flaws! There's no way I could have doubted it in my mind."

"Then I'll prove it to you now," Ren stated, rushing at his father's oversoul at full speed and jumping into the air to stab directly down at the top of En's head.

There was a burst of light as En's oversoul dissipated. When the white light faded, my jaw dropped as I took in the hundreds of blue spirits filling the air like pieces of flame. Hundreds of souls, I could feel. It was both beautiful and almost terrifying at the same time.

There was another glow, and a man with flowing robes and a hard face appeared. I didn't need to hear Ren to know that this was the real Tao En.

"That's my father?" I heard Jun ask.

I blinked, shocked. For Jun's and Ren's entire lives, they'd never seen the real form of their father? En had been hiding behind an oversoul for that long? That was… insane…

"Wow, he looks pretty normal," Yoh noted.

"But the moustache…," HoroHoro added.

"How can he be normal?" Ren asked scornfully. "At the least, he kept that his oversoul for more than ten years. That furyoku is enormous. And," he went on, "the mind which never entrusts others is the one that was deceived by his own son."

En let out something that resembled a chuckle, if I heard right. "I didn't expect you to break down my oversoul. But, I was neither entangled nor had doubt in my mind. I was just surprised."

I almost snorted in derisive laughter at this as Ryu exclaimed, "That's what you call having doubt in mind!"

"Stop talking nonsense, moustache!" HoroHoro added, giving En the finger.

"That's right…," En went on. "How could I ever have doubt in my mind?"

"He's not listening," Manta sighed.

"If you know how ignoble and helpless they are," En continued as if to himself. "If you know those truths…" He dropped his robes, revealing a suit of armor made out of mortuary tablets, and he held a long, steel sword. "They will recite everything. Who built two thousand years of Tao family history?" En asked. "The souls of our ancestors."

The blue spirits began to swirl around En as he explained.

"We, the Tao family, have always worked under the dynasty. For this world's peace and prosperity. Burying many lives to the darkness. Throwing into dangerous situations, and sustained history. With the advance of civilization, our shaman abilities were despised. In the end, we were looked at as if we were monsters, and we were detested. We were kicked out of the capital and sent to the frontier, thrown into the darkness of history.

"We were betrayed by the people we risked life for."

I blinked, realizing that the slight shine on En's face were tears.

"And how?" he continued. "How could I trust others?"

Pity welled up inside me. En was living in the past, the past of his ancestors. Not even his own _self's _past. It was sad to see someone who couldn't break free of what was and embrace the now. Yes, the past was what made you who you were, but it was the now that defined you.

I had the sudden feeling that I was being at least a little hypocritical, and I crossed my arms self-consciously.

"My oversoul is the converged souls of my ancestors," En added. "I have to succeed their volition. I have to be with their souls at all times. I was not deceiving you all. As the master of the Tao family, I have to engrave the Tao's family name into history again. Ren," he said, pointing his sword at his son. "I will not let you say that you forgot the Tao family's history. I will not let you say that you forgot the humiliation that our family received."

Ren was silent for a slight moment. "Indeed, I am a member of this family. But…" He raised his previously bowed head to face his father. "I am my own self."

"Fair enough," En replied after a second, lowering his weapon. "I'll see how determined you are." He held up his sword, and all the shimmering blue souls were absorbed into the weapon, causing the metal to glow as he oversouled the souls into the form of a giant Chinese dragon with the head of his previous oversoul when he slashed out with his weapon.

The dragon crashed into the ground, and we all had to jump out of the way; but this was his fight, not anyone else's. All the same, I found myself digging my nails into my arm to keep myself still after I landed a safe distance away. Ren might have been saying something while he fought, but I was too weak to keep Nix oversouled and couldn't hear anything save for the dragon's crashes. But then again… I really wanted to hear what was going on, so I merged with Nix.

"Dreams and friends, that's non of my concern now," I heard Ren mutter. "Everything is determined by me; I will choose the path that I decide to walk on."

He dodged the dragon and jumped into the air. "If you get lost, you will be puzzled. If you did something wrong, you can correct it. All you need to do is keep going forward. It's a very simple thing."

The dragon rushed toward Ren again, but Ren oversouled Bason into a giant form and had his spirit punch the dragon right in the face.

"Because I am my own self," Ren finished.

In an explosion of light and blue souls, the dragon faded, and Ren landed on the ground to face his father, who was kneeling after falling to the floor.

"It's… it's not over yet," En grunted. His eyes were narrowed, and his face gleamed with sweat. "I haven't lost yet. I am still alive."

"Stop it right there, En."

The old, quiet voice seemed very out of place, and I looked up to see two figures standing in the doorway. The first I noticed was a strikingly tall and beautiful woman wearing flowing robes. The shorter one was somewhat elderly and bald, but his voice was strong as he continued.

"This matched was already decided a long time ago. The loss was decided when you lost yourself. You should know that as well."

"Isn't that enough, darling?" the woman added.

The five of us not familiar with the Taos blinked in confusion, and Manta asked, "Who are they?"

"Grandfather and Mother," Jun explained.

"_What_?"

()()()()()()()()()

I hadn't even known that I was hungry until I saw the roasted pig - the _huge_ roasted pig - lying on a silver platter in the middle of a round table filled with a million different types of Chinese food. I found myself drooling slightly, but didn't care. We were all there except for Tao En.

"Is this what you call 'The Ultimate Chinese Food'?" HoroHoro asked from beside me.

"The chefs here are _very _skilled," Ryu added, licking his lips by the sound of it.

"But what does this mean?" Manta asked, confused.

Ren's grandfather laughed. He was the only one sitting at the table, and his backdrop was a large symbol of Yin and Yang on the wall, making him look rather impressive for a man of his age and stature, for he wasn't that much taller than Manta. "Friends that I thought Ren would never have come to visit," he began. "With Ren's homecoming celebration, I thought of an after party."

I noticed that HoroHoro was eyeing the food like it might get up and run away, and I realized that I might've been, too. The Ainu wiped away a bit of drool. "Even if you say party, how could we ever trust you?"

True. Where had they even been when we were fighting En? They had already made sure that our major wounds had been attended to (not that I really needed help with that), but still. I'd rather have not had to endure any of the pain En had inflicted upon us. Besides, the Taos were notorious for their assassinations. The pig could be laced with poison.

"I bet there's poison in this food," Ryu echoed my thoughts.

"Surely not," Ren's mother scoffed. She had the same soft-looking purple hair as her son. "This is welcoming friendship. Even though killing with poison is our specialty," she added with a laugh when Ryu's jaw dropped.

"Indeed!" Ren's grandfather agreed, laughing as well.

I was a bit unnerved, but I was pretty sure by Tao Ran-san's reaction that the food wasn't poisoned. It was all I could not to nab a plate and eat.

"I can't just accept this," Yoh said, confused. He pointed at Ren's grandfather. "I mean, you guys are supposed to be the bad guys, right?"

"Indeed," Ren's grandfather agreed calmly, his fingers locked together as he leaned on his elbows. "Our family did indeed kill many people throughout history. But that's our duty. Whenever there is light, darkness will always appear. The Tao family lived in that darkness, defended this country; we became the darkness for the justice of this country. In other words, that is, in fact, a justice.

"But," he added darkly. He paused and got out of his chair to walk over to the window. "We were betrayed. By the country we risked our lives for. By the people who we trusted."

I'd known the basic history of the Tao family, but never had I had the real emotions in my past lives to care. Now, the words were striking deeply into me. It was cruel. The Taos had been used like a pawn, thrown aside when they were no longer needed. I never wanted that to happen to me. But that wasn't a possibility with my job. I couldn't be thrown aside.

But then again, I could be thrown aside by Yoh or Manta or any of my friends. But they wouldn't do that… Would they? I snuck a glance at Ren to see that he was looking rather pensive. I looked back toward his grandfather.

"That's a story from a long time ago," Yoh noted. "Why are you taking it so far?"

"Because we were born into the Tao family," the elder explained. "As the master of the family, we have to protect our honor. After all, another person is another person. Betrayed because we trust. That's what En and I were told by history. Having doubt in mind was not forgiven. Born in the Tao family, we had to defend our own history."

"How absurd," Ren scoffed angrily.

I blinked and looked to see that he had a hand on a hip as his face was turned away from his grandfather. "If you want to have doubt in your mind, so be it."

"Hmph, and you were just like us a while ago." His grandfather returned to his chair at the head of the table in front of the Yin-Yang crest. "But it's different now. By meeting those boys - and the girl - over there, you and Jun were freed from the Tao family's history, and are able to find your own path. But En lost himself by witnessing your friendships. Do whatever you like, it's your own life. But don't forget the fact that no matter how far you go, you're still a member of the Tao family. I'll be looking forward to it."

Ren huffed and glared. "I'll do it however I want. As Tao Ren."

I felt a pang inside me. Until today, I hadn't realized how alike Ren and I were (though we were still different). But now he had gained the freedom he had always wanted. It made me wonder if _I _wanted freedom. But I couldn't want it. That was the difference between us; he had been cursed by his family's history, while I had been blessed.

Besides, there was no way for me to change what I was.

Before I could think further, Yoh's stomach growled in hunger, which made mine growl as well.

Ren's grandfather laughed. "Now, let's eat."

"I was waiting for it!" HoroHoro screeched, rushing towards the table with me right behind him.

"_Ittadakimasu_!" everyone besides me cried out as we gathered our plates and ate like there was no tomorrow.

()()()()()()()()()

I looked out the window of the bus at the blue sky. The Taos had given one of their drivers orders to take us back to Tokyo, and I was grateful that we wouldn't have to travel like we had before - broke.

HoroHoro and Ryu were crashing in the backseat, their snores just audible over the grumble of the engine. I heard Yoh and Manta speaking in the seat behind me about Ren not coming back with us, but I let their voices become one with the background as I sat with my knees drawn up to my chest, resting my head and arms on them.

Overhead, the early morning sky was blue and dotted with lazy clouds. The scenery was truly amazing, but I couldn't bring myself to truly care about it. I'd never admit it, but my thoughts were centered on one person.

I didn't know if I could ever forgive Ren for killing Chrom, but that wasn't quite at the focal point of my thoughts. I still couldn't shake off the fact that Ren and I had been so similar without me realizing it. But he had chosen his path to freedom, and I was stuck on a never-ending trail. I didn't _want _it to change (at least, I didn't think so), but the fact that I could never break free was unnerving me, and it never had before. Just why did I have real feelings in this life and not another? Sure, before I met Yoh, I had almost felt a real sibling bond with the Patch priests, but not true friendship. Not until now. I didn't even feel guilt until I had remembered what Tai…

I let out a quiet sigh. _Congratulations, Ren, _I thought, not quite knowing what emotion I felt behind it. _I'm sorry._

"_Don't say it if you don't mean it."_

_At least… I think I am._

I tried to pull myself out of these thoughts. My days with Yoh and the others were numbered. I'd have to enjoy them while they lasted.


	25. Hao

**_DISCLAIMER: Shaman King is not mine, only Tori, Nix, and Tai are._**

_I haven't read the manga completely (I'm still reading it online, 2nd volume as of right now XD), but I know that they go to an island off Japan after going to the Patch Village, but the anime is different, and I'm playing off the anime and not the manga. So while the others think that they'll be home right after the 2nd prelim, Tori knows they won't. Just clarifying._

_This chapter makes me both sad and excited, like the actual episode does. Things get more serious and stuff, and the battles are more epic from here on out, but there's a special... something to the early episodes. Kinda like Yoh's carefreeness is most prominent in the early episodes than later on, and they rub off on me more in the early ones. It's just... simpler in the beginning, I suppose. But now I'm starting to sound like a total sap, so let's get on with who you've all been waiting for! The epicness of Hao-sama :D_

_Oh, I just wanted to let you all know, there may or may not be a pairing at the end of this (other than YohxAnna, but that's just always there; I mean, how can they NOT love each other?), and I just want to hear what you guys think about it, who you want Tori to end up with, if she does. This won't persuade me (okay, so it might just a little), but I'd also like so see how you think as time goes on. And now that I realize that I'm still rambling, let's get on to HAO-SAMA. :D_

Normal text and "speaking," _thoughts, 'signing/mouthing,' **'telepathy.'**_

_Let's all enjoy Hao-sama and his poncho of epicness. Not that I'm forgetting about Spirit of Fire or Hao's awesome pants._

**Twenty-Five: Hao**

Not too long after we got back from China, Yoh's Oracle Bell and mine beeped at the same time. The message was one I was all too familiar with. The second preliminary tournament would take place in America. We would have to leave in two days, and travel to Patch Village. We had three months to get there.

I could fly there easily (well, not across an entire ocean; I didn't have enough active furyoku for _that_), but I didn't want to leave Yoh and the others behind. Against Nix's wishes, I decided to travel to America with Yoh and everyone on one of the Tao family's private jets. If they ever asked me what direction the Patch Village could be, I'd have to act indifferent and confused, and I'd have to do the absolute minimum if we had to scour an area for clues. I would probably come across as useless, but that was how I would have to be.

The only things I hated about it were that I had only two days left in the En Inn. Only two days left with Manta, who wasn't coming with us. After we left, I'd never see them again, nor Anna or Tamao. At least, _Tori's _eyes would never see them again.

So, until we had to leave, I was going to spend every waking minute I could with Manta, who I realized I had unconsciously labeled him as a 'genius puppy-dog.' Adorable, lovable, and smart. I'd miss him so much.

Still not having enrolled in school - for what was the point in my going? - I waited outside for class to end and for Yoh and Manta to come out (this got me some odd looks from the kids coming out; I looked their age, so why didn't I have to endure such torture with them?). When they finally did, they each gave me a smile (though Manta's seemed halfhearted), and we headed to meet HoroHoro and Ryu at a diner.

I sat beside HoroHoro in the booth (it had been the only free place to sit without being next to Ryu), and the Ainu was looking off into space excitedly. "America, eh?" he said. "I'm looking forward to it."

_You've seen it once, you've seen it a million times, _I thought tiredly. I'd never been included in this topic of conversation _ever, _but still, I'd been born/traveled to America so many times that my vague, emotionless memories of it weren't all that appealing. Instead of joining in, I took a bite of the chocolate ice cream (which was the only cold thing that I liked) that Yoh had ordered for me before he went off into daydream-land.

"Aren't you misunderstanding?" Ryu asked, sort of smugly. "We're not going there for sightseeing."

HoroHoro glanced at Ryu out of the corner of his eye. "What? Are you scared or something?"

"Nonsense," Ryu responded, and I could tell there was going to be an argument soon. "I don't have this thing called 'fear' inside me, not ever since I was born."

'_You seemed plenty afraid of me after I kicked you in the crotch,' _I pointed out after tapping the table for attention. I couldn't help but join in here.

Ryu blushed in embarrassment, and HoroHoro laughed hysterically. "What? When was this?" he demanded to me, still laughing. (How he knew the sign for 'crotch'… Never mind.)

I waved my hand dismissively. _'Long time ago. I guess Ryu's changed since then, but still, he won't become Shaman King if he's afraid of me.' _I jerked my thumb at myself for emphasis on the last word, since I couldn't verbally stress it. My throat was still sore after coming back from the Tao estate.

"Exactly." HoroHoro grinned. "Because _I'm _going to become the Shaman King."

Ryu seemed to have gotten over his embarrassment and laughed at HoroHoro. "You know, you shouldn't sleep talk while you're dreaming."

"What did you say?" HoroHoro slapped the table and leaned towards Ryu dangerously. Ryu repeated the gesture.

Manta sighed and I looked to see that he had hung his head depressively.

Immediately, HoroHoro and Ryu stopped fighting, and we all looked concernedly at Manta.

"What's the matter, Manta? Why so gloomy?" HoroHoro asked.

"Of course I'd be gloomy," Manta replied. "Everyone is leaving in two days."

"You idiot," HoroHoro replied. "Even though we're leaving, it doesn't mean we're leaving for good."

I had to bite my lip to keep myself from a bitter-but-breathy laugh. _They _would most likely come back. Tori wouldn't. (Third person was really the only way to describe my 'body'; I wasn't like Hao, who just labeled himself as an all-powerful reincarnation, because I wasn't all-powerful.)

"Yeah," Ryu agreed with HoroHoro. "Only until the second preliminary is over."

_That's what you think. _They'd be staying in Patch Village until the Tournament was officially _over_.

"Right, master?" Ryu prompted.

Yoh's head sleepily fell off his hand and just barely caught himself before his head hit the table.

"Don't sleep with open eyes!" HoroHoro insisted, banging the table with his fist. "It's confusing!"

"What? Where am I?" Yoh asked groggily.

HoroHoro put a hand to his temple. "Did he go pass easygoing and start going insane?"

"Looseness is the secret to master's strength," Ryu praised.

"I'm stronger, damn it," HoroHoro argued.

Ryu glared at him.

"You all are acting normal," Manta noted glumly, and everyone turned to him again. "The exact same as usual. I mean, I'm not even participating in the Shaman Fight, but I get sad and worried…" He tried to laugh it off. "I'm no good. I become gloomy for some reason."

There was a slight moment of silence before Ryu bowed his head. "Same here, Manta. I also feel lonely about leaving people like you."

I dug my nails into my palm. At least they'd be able to see Manta again. I wouldn't.

"As soon as the second prelims end, we'll fly back as soon as possible," HoroHoro assured him cheerily.

I smiled encouragement, not wanting to lie with my hands.

Manta only smiled when he saw Yoh smiling as well.

HoroHoro sighed. "I guess I have to say farewell to this town for a while."

_Yeah, _I silently agreed, staring back down at the melting remains of my ice cream. _For a while._

()()()()()()()()

As soon as Yoh and I walked through the front door, Anna was there, holding a new battle outfit up in front of Yoh as if to see if it would fit. I closed the door, and was about to let them have a moment alone when Tamao came running in.

"Welcome home!" she greeted. She stopped short when she saw Anna, then walked up and asked politely, "Should I prepare dinner now?"

"Yeah, I'm starving and about to die," Yoh insisted enthusiastically.

I rolled my eyes and slipped off my shoes. We had just come from a diner, for goodness's sake.

"Don't move," Anna instructed, and I saw Yoh tense up, sweat pouring off of him.

"I'm good with the one I have now," he claimed nervously. "You don't have to make a new one…"

"I can't let you do that," Anna said. "As a wife, I can't let the future Shaman King get embarrassed."

I saw Tamao pad silently toward the kitchen, but decided there was nothing I could say to her. Besides, she needed to get it through her head herself that Yoh was already taken and she had to move on. Poor girl, though. But what was I to say about matters of love?

()()()()()()()()()

Though it was cold, I opened my window and leaned against the sill, staring out at the stars. One more night after this… Then we'd be off. Then I would have to leave, and 'Tori' would never see this place again. Perhaps my next life would, but by then everyone would have changed into an adult. Maybe I could just check up on them every once in a while… but surely Yoh would recognize me; always unable to speak on her own, always with the flaming red hair and blue eyes.

I sighed. I'd never had a problem with having little time, because I'd never had any attachments to people before. Never had real feelings before this… Why? Why did I have them? It was so weird… But I'd thought about this before, and I'd never had an answer. There was no use in trying if all I was going to do was fail.

Leaving the window open, I huddled under the covers of my futon. Nix appeared beside me, silent as he settled down on the corner of the mattress.

It was going to be a long night.

()()()()()()()()()

There was no school for Yoh and the others the next day, so in the morning I went with Yoh and Amidamaru to Funbari Hill to wait for Manta beside Amidamaru's gravestone. Maybe I should've let them have some guy time, but I wanted to be selfish. We stood in silence, looking out on the city. Birdsong drifted on the breeze, and I felt like crying, but I dug my nails into my crossed arms to keep myself silent. What was wrong with me?

"At last… it's tomorrow," Amidamaru said, almost in awe.

"Yeah," Yoh agreed.

"Yoh-kun! Tori-kun!"

Immediately, I turned to see Manta running across the bridge toward us. Yoh chuckled, and I smiled even though I wanted to chain myself to the tree and never leave. But that was impossible. I had a duty to fulfill.

We hung out and did a whole bunch of unimportant stuff. But it was really my last day with Manta ever, so I studied every detail about everything we did. We ended up on the top of a building at sunset (how we got there, I'm not entirely sure), each of us holding a can of soda while we leaned against a rail.

"I searched about Patch Village a bit, but I couldn't find any information or clues," Manta said, looking up at Yoh. He was between me and the lazy shaman.

"I see," Yoh said, rolling the soda can in his hands. "But that's probably how it's supposed to be. The task is to get to the second preliminary, so it can't be easy to find."

I nodded, though they weren't really looking at me. Nor was I at them, really. I felt like if I held either of their eyes for too long I'd lose it and either stay here forever or pack Manta in a suitcase. It wasn't like he wouldn't fit.

Manta laughed a little. "That's true. But I was disappointed," he admitted. "I wanted to help you guys out, but in the end, I can't do anything for you guys."

_It doesn't matter, _I wanted to say. _You're still the best, Manta._

"Thanks, Manta," Yoh said. He looked up into the sky. "America is far away. But no matter how far we are away from each other, we're always together." He turned to look at me and Manta. "Because we're friends." He chuckled.

I wondered what kind of crazy logic this was, but I didn't question it.

"We're going to be separated for a while," Manta noted dolefully.

"Yeah," Yoh agreed.

There was a sudden beeping, and Manta held up his watch.

"Is it time to go to cram school?" Yoh asked.

"Yeah," Manta agreed. He didn't move.

"Let's skip it," the boys said in unison.

I had to laugh along with them for some reason. I felt a little better afterwards.

()()()()()()()()

Though there were no cars out at this time of night (which was actually really weird), we waited for the pedestrian traffic light to turn green. I was exhausted; I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night, and I doubted I would tonight.

"Sorry for making you hang out with me," Yoh apologized to Manta.

"I don't mind at all," Manta replied. "I wanted to be with you guys as well. Time really passes by quickly."

"Yeah," Yoh agreed. He turned to me, a slight look of concern on his face. "You've been pretty quiet today, Tori. What's up?"

It was so temping to sign 'Because I'm not coming back,' but instead I just replied, _'I just don't want to leave here.'_

Yoh nodded understandingly. "We'll come back. It'll all work out."

_Liar._

"Well," Manta began, "when you guys go to America… sleeping in school will become your dream of dreams Yoh," Manta joked.

Yoh put his hands behind his head. "I'll live freely and easily. After all, no matter where I am, I am myself."

_And no matter where _I _am, I'm forced to keep a secret! …Ack, why are my thoughts so cynical lately? Feelings are so difficult… _I thought of leaving everything here behind, and bit my lip.

"I see," Manta said to Yoh, oblivious to my inner thoughts. "That's possible for you." He and Yoh laughed, and I joined in to try and make myself feel better. It worked only slightly.

"What's the matter with you, Amidamaru?" Yoh asked, turning towards the silent samurai. "You've been gloomy for quite a while."

"Only one person can become the Shaman King," Amidamaru explained seriously. "Eventually, we'll end up fighting others."

"Yeah," Yoh agreed. "HoroHoro, Ren, and Ryu are all tough." He eyed me teasingly. "You though, I think I'll be okay."

I punched his shoulder, but there was no real force behind it. No one would ever face me. On the journey, I'd have to be careful if we ever ran into other shamans. I couldn't ('lawfully') attack contestants unless my current life was in danger, and even then I wasn't much of a fighter. If Yoh wanted to, he could kill me in a heartbeat.

"That's not what I meant," Amidamaru said.

"I know," Yoh replied. "Since we're all friends, it's going to be awkward to fight against each other. I don't like competitions. But that's what the Shaman Fight is about. I'll fight as hard as I can. It'd be the best if we can all fight as the Shaman King in the end."

Amidamaru smiled. "That's the Yoh-dono I know."

Guilt bubbled in the pit of my stomach. I wish I didn't have to lie. I wish I never had these stupid feelings to begin with, or that I didn't have any duty to carry out.

_But what are you thinking? _I told myself. _You have to repay your debt, and you're honored to do it._

But what was the use in repaying it if I never could?

Ugh, I needed to push these things aside, at least for the moment. _I'll cross bridges when I get to them._

"It'll be interesting no matter who wins," Yoh stated.

"I wonder what kind of shamans qualified for the second preliminary," Manta speculated excitedly.

"I can easily imagine shamans who are stronger than who we have fought," Amidamaru replied.

"Yeah, you're probably right about that," Yoh said.

In the last Shaman Fight, the shaman who had become the King had been particularly powerful, especially to beat Hao. I remembered helping him in the end. He'd been a very worthy Shaman King.

"Faust probably qualified for it," Manta said.

_Faust. _My fists clenched as I thought of what he did to Manta, but I pushed the thought aside. What if _he _became the Shaman King? See, this was why I was supposed to be _neutral_.

"Oh, that's right," Manta continued. "And those two partners. That rock group, Zen and Ryo." Manta held up his hands. "Well, you can't call that a rock group."

"I think I remember them… vaguely," Yoh recalled.

"What was that thing they were talking about?" Manta asked.

"Hm? They were saying something?"

Manta thought for a moment, then smacked his palm with his fist. "Oh, that's right, it's Hao, Hao. They were saying something about Hao-sama."

Hao. Yoh's twin. The guy who liked fire even more than me. Yoh's ancestor. Silva's ancestor. The guy who could control his own existence at will. He could do whatever he wanted with his time as much as I was trapped in it never-endingly. The only one 'outside' the Patch to fully know about me. No, nothing special about him at _all. _

"I don't think I remember that much," Yoh said slowly to Manta.

"Is that Hao guy also participating in the Shaman Fight?"

_Most definitely, and with three first prelim wins under his belt, though that's just the least of his accomplishments, _I thought, remembering when I had checked up on the match results on my Oracle Bell.

"I have no idea." Yoh smiled. "But everything will be all right."

Manta let out a little laugh. "You got that right."

Finally, the world's longest traffic light turned green, and Manta ran across the street towards his home before stopping to wave. "I'll come to the airport to see you guys off!" he called.

Yoh and I waved back, both of us with a smile, though mine was more forced.

()()()()()()()()

I barely got a wink of sleep. I'd already packed what little I had into my bag, so I stayed in my futon for a few extra minutes. I was going to miss everything about the En Inn, especially my bed. And the people. I allowed for just one or two tears to slide down my face before I wiped my eyes and got up.

After a quick breakfast, I followed Yoh outside into the early morning sunshine. Yoh stretched. "Such nice weather!"

Almost as if on cue, Ryu, HoroHoro, and Pirika walked through the front gate.

"Good morning, master," Ryu greeted.

"Yo!" Yoh replied.

Anna and Tamao walked out of the house behind us. Hesitantly, Tamao walked up to Yoh and held out her arms stiffly to give him a good luck charm.

"Thanks," Yoh said.

"Please look after yourself," Tamao wished, blushing slightly.

"If you lose, I won't let you step on this property," Anna warned him.

"I know," Yoh replied. He turned to the others. "All right, let's go!"

He, HoroHoro, and Ryu started walking away, and I quickly hugged Tamao and Pirika, before I hugged Anna. She stiffened.

'_**Goodbye, Anna,'**_I mentally whispered to her. _**'Please watch out for everyone here.'**_

Immediately, I could tell that Anna knew I wouldn't be coming back. "I will," she whispered back.

"Hey, Tori!" Yoh called.

"You coming or- Are you hugging _Anna_?" HoroHoro asked incredulously.

I let go of Anna and nodded at Tamao and Pirika before hurrying after the boys. At the gate, I turned and took one last, long look at the En Inn and the trio that stood outside it.

Then, I turned and followed the others toward my duty.

()()()()()()()()

Manta was waiting for us when we arrived at the airport. I resisted the urge to run up and hug him.

"You're late," Ren stated when we walked up to him and his private jet, hands in the pocket of his dark traveling jacket. A yellow scarf was tired around his neck. It matched his eyes.

"What do you mean by 'late'?" HoroHoro demanded. "It's noon, that's when you told us to come!"

"Coming here early is what you call well-mannered," Ren pointed out.

HoroHoro scowled. "You're such a stiff guy."

"Anyways," Ryu interrupted, "having an airplane like that! The Tao family is indeed amazing."

Ren looked away, as if feigning modesty, but you could tell he was far from being modest. "We have thirty-two airplanes other than this one."

Why need thirty-three? Ren was sure… odd… I still didn't quite know what to consider him. Friend? Ally? The only thing I knew was that he wasn't an enemy. Not anymore.

Suddenly, my internal radar went off, and I looked up sharply.

"You're going to ride on an airplane to get to America, eh?" Hao asked from over near the fence, his poncho and long hair billowing in the wind; at the sound of his voice, the others turned to look at him as he continued. "I can go by using my oversoul."

"Did you just say oversoul?" Ren asked, taking a few steps forward to stand beside me and HoroHoro. "He's a shaman."

"I don't know which shaman you are, but are you okay?" HoroHoro asked skeptically. "How can you cross the Pacific Ocean by using oversoul?"

"Well, you can't imagine such a thing with your weak oversouls. Though I have seen you, girl," he went on, 'seeming' to notice me for the first time. "Wings. I bet if you had a little extra furyoku lying around, you could do it. You can come with me though, if you want."

It wasn't the offer, but the comment about 'extra furyoku' that paralyzed my insides. _**'Hao,' **_I warned him telepathically. _**'Normal shamans aren't supposed to know.'**_

I think he pretended not to hear me.

"Weak?" HoroHoro spat, not seeming to have heard Hao's offer to me. "Are you trying to pick a fight, bastard?"

There was a sudden gust of furyoku, and he and Ryu were sent flying.

"You're no match for me," Hao stated.

I twisted to see that HoroHoro and Ryu had been caught by an oversouled Bason. "I see," Ren said, crouched in an attack stance with his Kwan Dao. "The size of your main spirit is pretty big."

I turned back to see a giant red, almost skeletal spirit standing behind Hao. "His name is Spirit of Fire," Hao explained. "He's very powerful."

"Stop talking big!" Ren made to attack the oversouled Spirit of Fire, but it easily punched Bason in the face and sent Ren onto his back.

'_**Stop it, Hao!' **_I insisted, taking a step towards him.

Hao looked curiously at me and responded aloud. "Since when do people matter to you?"

My breath caught in my throat, and I froze.

"What are you trying to do?" Yoh accused to his twin, having been too concerned for Ren to have heard Hao's question.

"Thanks for taking care of Zen and Ryo a while ago," Hao said, turning his attention to his twin/descendant. Spirit of Fire made to punch at Yoh, but he jumped out of the way and oversouled Amidamaru into Harusame, slashing at Hao's oversoul but making no damage at all.

"You're still too weak," Hao noted. Spirit of Fire punched Yoh, making him skid across the pavement.

'_**That's enough!' **_I ran towards Hao, but I stopped when he sent me a look. He walked towards Yoh, who was still on the ground.

"Get stronger soon, Yoh," he said. "For I am the future Shaman King, Hao."

"Hao-sama, let's go already." I turned my eyes slightly to see that a little black girl had spoken, and she was standing with a large group of shamans.

"Sure," Hao replied evenly. He glanced at me. "The offer still stands. Come with us, and I'll make sure nothing happens to you till we get to Patch Village. I want to make sure you arrive safely, after all."

I shook my head vehemently.

He frowned, and as he walked past me, he whispered. "You're not supposed to have bias, Tori-chan," he stated, almost confusedly. "But then again," he added, "It shouldn't matter. You'll assist me just fine, I'm sure."

With that, he and his group took off on Spirit of Fire, and he waved at us. "I'll be looking forward to it!"

There was a heightened air as we watched him disappear. Gradually, we all relaxed enough to walk back toward the jet. Once we were there, the boys chorused a goodbye to Manta and started to board the plane. I hesitated.

Manta smiled sadly. "Bye, Tori-kun."

I just about fell to my knees and hugged Manta tightly. He squirmed at the sudden action, and I could tell that he was incredibly embarrassed to be hugged by a girl in front of the guys, but I didn't care in the slightest. I wasn't going to see Manta again, ever.

"Um… Tori-kun…," Manta began.

I pulled away from him, and he saw the tears on my face. "Tori-kun?" he asked, eyes wide.

I wiped my eyes and stood, ruffling his hair like he was a puppy before I turned and hurried up the stairs. At the top, just inside the jet, was Yoh. He smiled at me reassuringly before he went to take his seat. I turned and gave one last wave to Manta. He waved back, albeit somewhat hesitantly.

I turned away. _**'Goodbye, Manta.'**_

I made the telepath quiet enough so that he'd probably think it was the wind, or the sound of the engine, or just his imagination.

I walked into the main seating area and saw that Yoh was giving me a sad smile, and HoroHoro was looking at me, mouth open slightly in concern. Ren caught my eye and gave me a quizzical, somewhat suspicious look, and I took the closest seat with a window that didn't look out over the wings. This way, none of them were across or in front of me, and they couldn't look at my face.


	26. The Lily Five

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King, I only own Tori, Nix, and Tai.**

_Kinda in a hurry, and I don't have anything much to say, really. I only looked over this once because I didn't have too much time, and I didn't see any major typos, so I'm putting it up now._

_The Lily Five... Eh. Neither like them nor hate them, really. In any case, we have a bit of action this chapter :P_

Normal text and "speaking," _thought, 'signing/mouthing,' **'telepathy.'**_

_enjoy! :P_

**Twenty-Six: The Lily Five**

Eventually, my sorrow of leaving Manta and the En Inn subsided, causing me to feel drained, especially since I'd barely slept the past few nights. The hum of the engine seemed to soothe me like a lullaby, and the endless clouds outside the window grew fuzzier as my eyelids drooped. Realizing that I was fighting the inevitable for no reason, I closed my eyes and leaned back in my seat.

The dreams were terrible. First, I saw Ryu plunge Harusame through his own heart. Then the En Inn was set ablaze with Anna and Tamao and Pirika inside. Silva and Kalim were blown apart in an explosion. The Shamon-kyonshii snapped HoroHoro's neck. Ren managed to slaughter Chrom before his own father squashed him like an insect. Manta cried out before the dragon-Pailong swallowed him whole. Yoh fell backward onto the ground, no visible wounds on him but unmistakably dead. Then I felt Tai holding me - Maylin - as a terrible noise erupted into my eardrums and everything shook.

"Wake _up_, damn it!"

My eyes flashed open to see that Ren had me by the shoulders. As soon as he saw that I was awake, he stopped shaking me and pulled me forcefully to a standing position.

"We have to jump off the plane," he explained commandingly. "Take the pilot and fly down."

It was then that I realized that the plane was falling out of the sky. I'd woken up to another nightmare.

Nix was already at my side, and I immediately oversouled him into wings, keeping them tight to my back as someone - I think it was HoroHoro - shoved me towards the emergency exit. The pilot, who seemed to be in a daze, was carefully forced into my arms by Yoh, and before I could turn to jump out the door, Ren roughly pushed me out.

The pilot screamed in my arms, and I unfurled my wings to flip us over the right way. We were at a wide expanse of desert and were a few thousand feet above the ground. Before I could give a thought to how the pilot might like it, I pinned my wings back and dived.

The nightmares seemed to vanish from my mind to be replaced by exhilaration. Just about two hundred feet before impact, I opened my wings and swooped in a wide circle, the tip of my left wing just barely skimming the ground before I flapped once and alighted onto the dirt. I let go of the pilot and he collapsed onto the sand, gasping.

With a near-deafening crash, the plane skidded onto the ground a good ways away and the ground shook. The memory of my dreams returned and, gripped by fear, I looked up to see the guys' oversouls glowing as they fell, clustered together. With a split-second blast of furyoku that sent up a wave of dust over me ten feet away, they landed safely. I breathed a sigh of relief when the dust settled and pushed the nightmare out of my mind.

"You all right, Tori?" Yoh called as he walked over once he assessed that he was okay. I deactivated my oversoul and nodded in response.

The others hadn't followed Yoh; instead, they congregated over by the smoking remains of the jet's engine, the pilot following them only to sit down on the ground in defeat. Yoh and I followed more slowly.

Ryu seemed not to care about the broken plane as he screamed something that sounded like, "_It's so big_!"

"Be quiet, you idiot!" HoroHoro shot at him before turning away. "Seriously, that was close."

"Don't worry about it, Ren," Yoh said to the Tao as we walked up, who seemed to be angrily mourning over his plane. "You have thirty-two planes left over, right?"

"That's not the reason I'm mad!" Ren growled stiffly before turning back to his plane and adding under his breath, "Baka…"

Strangely, I wanted to laugh. What, did they expect to get all the way to Patch Village in a plane?

After a while, Yoh and HoroHoro sat down, and I sat beside them, enjoying the dry, hot air of the desert. I was _made _for this weather.

"Seriously, I didn't think we could do it if we tried," HoroHoro said. "That we were able to avoid splattering our guts on the ground by using oversoul."

"Hmph." Ren was still looking at the smoking remains of his plane. "That's nothing. By centralizing all of our furyoku at one point, we can easily avoid a direct hit. It's more efficient. Remember that."

"Tch. So arrogant," HoroHoro said, mimicking my thoughts. "Even so, we're really unlucky that the engine broke down."

I was just about to tap the Ainu's shoulder to explain that this wasn't a form of bad luck, when Ren beat me to it by saying, "You don't understand anything, do you?"

"_What_ did you just say?"

"That wasn't an accident," Ren stated. "It was an attack from shamans."

There was a moment for everyone to take this in. I wondered if I really should be doing this, going with them. I was sure that, if Hao attacked us along the way, he wouldn't try to kill me (he'd probably tell the same to his group if they were the ones attacking). But there were scores of other shamans trying to get to Patch Village, and they would just see me as another threat, not as the potential help I would be if they won the Tournament. And I couldn't attack them unless they _were_ really trying to kill me. It was the rules.

"Shamans?" HoroHoro echoed. "Could it be that Hao person again? Damn that guy," he added, putting his fist in his palm angrily. "When I see him next time, I'll tear him to pieces."

The idea of HoroHoro tearing Hao to pieces was so impossible that I let out an unexpected laugh. Confused, HoroHoro turned to me, as well as Yoh and Ren, and I explained, _'You shouldn't even try tearing him to pieces. You'll be the one we have to bury.'_

HoroHoro had to contemplate what I meant for a second before he asked, "What do you mean by that?"

I shrugged, knowing that I had to be as nonchalant as possible to avoid letting on that I knew Hao, and Hao knew me. _'You see the size of his oversoul? If Hao had done this, we'd all be dead by now.'_

HoroHoro turned his head away, but I heard him mutter, "Everyone but you."

I stood up sharply, but before I could do anything, Yoh interjected, "Don't argue. It'll make you hungry."

"Leave me alone!" HoroHoro shot at Yoh as he stood up, but his stomach promptly growled. He sighed, and I completely turned away from him, crossing my arms. Hao's offer for me to join him to the Patch Village had seemed so personal that I had forgotten that the others must have heard it as well. I wasn't sure if I was angry because of HoroHoro's accusation that hinted that Hao 'liked' me, or if it was because what HoroHoro said was true, regardless of what he meant by it.

"Well," Ryu said, "either way, their surprise attack is unforgivable."

"The second preliminary's rule was to get to Patch Village in three months," Ren pointed out. "That's all."

"So it means anything can happen?" Ryu confirmed. "They made such ambiguous rules."

"Don't worry about it," Yoh said calmly. "I mean, it's better than having so many rules and restrictions."

"You're always so easygoing," HoroHoro said tiredly.

"Yoh-dono!" Amidamaru called, floating down to us in his spirit ball form to land in front of Yoh.

"How was it?" Yoh asked.

"I found a town ahead of us," Amidamaru explained.

"Really?" HoroHoro asked excitedly. "Where is it?"

Amidamaru looked down. "Well, if we walk, it'll take a full day to get there."

"A full day?" HoroHoro exclaimed.

"That's really far away," Ryu said, pointlessly.

"Oh! I know!" HoroHoro exclaimed. "Tori can fly us!"

There was a moment of silence, and I could imagine a bead of sweat on all our heads except HoroHoro. I whipped around and smacked him (lightly-ish) upside the head.

"Ow!" He rubbed his head. "What was that for?"

"Baka," Ren stated. "You think _she _can carry us all there?"

I spun on my heel to glare at him, even though his words did have truth in them. He met my look calmly and challengingly at the same time. The look reminded me of the one he had given me at dinner the night he and Yoh had tied, and the memory of me slapping him made me look away. Why did remembering that make me feel shameful? Ren had done many more terrible things to _me_.

Yoh stood. "Well, for the time being, we have to head there."

"Give me a break," HoroHoro whined.

"Nothing will change by complaining," Ren pointed out. "If that's the closest town, we have no choice but to go there."

"You're right," HoroHoro said, "But…"

"Don't worry, it's just a matter of time," Yoh explained. "I mean, if we walk for a day, we'll get there."

"Indeed, it's a matter of time," Ryu agreed.

HoroHoro sighed. "I guess you mean the situation can be better if you change your way of thinking."

"You got that right," Yoh confirmed. He laughed.

()()()()()()()()()

"It's so hot!" HoroHoro complained. "I can't walk anymore!" He stripped off his jacket and dropped onto the ground, panting heavily, while Ryu huddled a little ways away.

I rolled my eyes. I wasn't even sweating! But then again, dry heat was something I was basically made for. Just to taunt them, I oversouled Nix into a few fireballs (this cost me more furyoku than usual and reminded me of Hao, but I pushed the thought away) and juggled them in front of HoroHoro. He scowled at me. I smiled and deactivated oversoul.

"There's something wrong with you," HoroHoro muttered.

I shrugged.

"Don't worry," Yoh said. "Just a little more."

"What are you talking about?" HoroHoro asked him. "We still have half a day of walking to get to the town."

"That's not what I meant."

Confused, I turned to Yoh as he continued. "There's an oasis if you walk a little bit more."

I blinked. Oasis?

"How do you know about it?" Ren asked.

"Oh, I saw it while we were coming down," Yoh replied, turning to face him.

Ren was stunned as HoroHoro jumped to his feet. "Great job! There's no time to slack off around here. Hey, let's go Ryu!"

I was stunned as well as I walked beside Yoh, but probably not for the reason Ren was - he was probably wondering how Yoh could have seen the oasis while they were falling from the sky, but I was wondering how _I _hadn't seen it. I'd been in more control of the falling situation, after all. What was the point of having a bird's eye view if you didn't take the time to look for stuff?

()()()()()()()()()

Within ten minutes, we were at an oasis shielded by cliffs and trees. There was green grass, and an incredibly large pool of freshwater that was lukewarm when I cupped my hands and took a sip. It tasted a little gritty too, but it was water. I gulped down the rest of my handful.

When I lifted my head, I narrowed my eyes in confusion when I realized that there were shamans in the area. They didn't seem to be coming close, but-

My train of thought was suddenly shattered as I was splashed with water, caused by HoroHoro jumping into the oasis.

"You bastard!" Ren screamed at him from about five feet away from me, where he also knelt to take a drink. "The water's gonna get dirty!"

"What?" HoroHoro responded, annoyed. "Don't worry about small things."

"That's not the problem!" Ren insisted, teeth gritted angrily. "Just get out now!"

HoroHoro sighed and waded out of the water and onto the land beside me. I watched as Ren took a drink of water with cupped hands, only to spit it out comically as Ryu emerged from the water, almost completely… naked. I gagged and went to sit beside Yoh and Amidamaru, deciding to just listen to their banter rather than watch.

"Bastard!" Ryu exclaimed, and I was pretty sure that Ren had just cut off a bit of his hair. "What did you do that for?"

"Hmph," Ren replied. "Only idiots around here."

"What did you just say?" HoroHoro yelled.

"How dare you cut my cool hairstyle which is more important than my life!"

"I can't take it anymore! I'll put an end to this!" With a flash, HoroHoro activated his oversoul.

"Fair enough!" The golden flash signaled Ren's, which was followed immediately by Ryu's purple.

I gave Yoh a look, feeling a headache coming on. _'You men can be very annoying.'_

He chuckled.

"That's enough already, you three!" Amidamaru called concernedly, trying to quell the argument.

"Stay out of our business!" the trio chorused.

"Yoh-dono…," Amidamaru pleaded.

"Just leave them be," Yoh replied calmly. "It's been told that the more you fight, the more you get along."

"That's just a load of crap!" the quarreling group screamed. I had to agree with how it sounded.

"Well, either way, I'm going to take a nap," Yoh said. He closed his eyes. "Tell me when it's over."

The trio sighed, and I looked over (avoiding looking at Ryu's hairy-ness) to see that they had all deactivated their oversouls.

"I lose my motivation when I watch him," HoroHoro said.

"Agreed," Ren added.

"Heh, no one can take on master," Ryu said in quiet triumph.

They were all so annoying! One minute, they want to fight, the next, they didn't. Couldn't they make up their minds?

"Oh, you're done already?" Yoh asked. "Well, let's head on then. I mean, it's going to take more than half a day's walk to get to the town."

"Ahh!" HoroHoro screeched. "Don't remind me."

"Like I said before, stop complaining," Ren snapped.

"You talk too much," HoroHoro shot back.

"As I thought, you guys get along well," Yoh observed.

"How!" the two screamed in unison.

I put my hands against my ears. If all they were going to do was argue, I was seriously going to consider just ditching them.

()()()()()()()()()

The sky was turning purple as the night began. We sat by the side of the lonely highway as Ryu held out his wooden sword, oversouling it so that it glowed like a giant purple thumb.

I sighed as I sat on the side of the tar so that I wouldn't get the seat of my white dress dirty and looked to Yoh, HoroHoro, and Ren. _'If this works, we're going to get picked up by a wanted murderer, I can just tell.'_

Yoh chuckled. "Don't worry, Tori."

'_I'm not. I'm just saying.'_

"C'mon, Tori," HoroHoro said boastingly. "You have us to protect you."

I burst out in breathy laughter.

"What!" HoroHoro asked, popping a vein. "What's so funny?"

'_You can't even walk across a desert without falling over,' _I pointed out.

HoroHoro bristled. "It's hot!"

"You all are annoying," Ren growled.

HoroHoro rounded on him. "I bet you're just angry because you feel left out! You can't understand her, can you?"

Ren scowled. "I know more languages than you have brain cells. Sign language is not a challenge." He then signed something incredibly rude to HoroHoro, who missed it. But Ren didn't even turn to me as he continued aloud. "Though it _is _nice to have one of you be silent, it would be more efficient for travel if she was united with her spirit and spoke."

I glared, but before I could do anything, a light suddenly appeared behind me, and I turned to see a blue pickup truck stop beside Ryu. There was a slight pause.

"Get in, brats!" the driver called.

"Thank you!" Yoh replied as we piled into the truck bed, Ryu climbing into the passenger seat next to the man. I sat in the corner, as far away from Ren as possible.

()()()()()()()()()

The next day, the driver, Billy, dropped us off in the town beside a map, and he and Ryu - who really seemed to have bonded - said their farewells a little ways off.

"Now what should we do?" HoroHoro asked, studying the map.

"There's no time to waste," Ren pointed out. "Let's go find some information on Patch Village."

"Then let's split up and ask people," Yoh suggested. "HoroHoro, you go that way; Ren and Tori, you go that way, and I'll go with Ryu the other way. Oi! Ryu!" he called. "How long are you going to do that? Let's go!"

Though I was completely against going with Ren (and he seemed to feel the same way), Yoh and HoroHoro were already hurrying away. Ren grumbled and took off suddenly in the direction Yoh had pointed us in, and I walked beside him, trying to be the bigger person and not act like this was as terrible as it actually was.

After a tense silence, Ren suddenly said, "Well? Are you going to unite with your spirit to help or what?"

I spun around in front of him, using my slightly greater height to my advantage as I glared at him. _'I'm not going to speak just because you tell me to.' _Maybe I did still feel guilty for slapping him, and confused as well, but at the moment, I was just angry at him for being so damn arrogant.

Ren crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Where'd you get that mark on your back?"

The abrupt change of topic caught me off-guard. So Ren _had _seen my mark -at least part of it - when he'd attacked me in the woods after Yoh fought that aqua-haired girl. _'It comes with being Nix's master,' _I replied somewhat truthfully, my signs a little jerky because I was still angry. _'I don't like people to see it,' _I added, hoping he wouldn't mention it to the others.

Ren didn't seem to completely buy it. "Why did you try to defend him that night? What were you doing there?"

The sudden interrogation was making me nervous as I realized he was talking about when he killed Chrom. When he had spoken, he had become stiffer, and I think I understood that he regretted his past of destruction. But he had still asked the questions. _'I was getting my Oracle Bell. And killing people is wrong,' _I explained, still trying to keep up my anger, which was now turning into a façade. My palms were sweating with apprehension.

Ren was silent for a moment as he weighed my response in his mind. I couldn't help but feel small as his golden eyes searched mine for truth. Finally, he said, "Fine. I suppose I'll offer a truce." He extended his hand, but not very far. "We'll leave each other alone about what's been said and done, and focus on getting to Patch Village, _unless _something else…comes up. Deal?"

Inwardly, I was relieved that the questioning was over, and I shook his hand and nodded. His hand was rough from handling numerous weapons.

Maybe, if we could learn to fully settle our differences, Ren and I really could be… friends.

After a moment, Ren pulled his hand away rather quickly, but maintained the eye contact. "So, are you going to unite and help?"

'_Actually,' _I signed, irked at his arrogance but also blushing slightly at what I was about to convey, _'I need to find a bathroom.'_

Ren sighed in exasperation, but walked with me until we found a shop with a public bathroom. I left him standing on the sidewalk, his arms crossed as he glared at nothing in particular.

()()()()()()()()

When I came back out, I looked around in confusion. Where had Ren gone? I walked to the edge of the sidewalk and looked up and down the street, but all I saw was a gaggle of girls standing around-

Oh. Well, this was amusing. The girls were all clustered around Ren, who was blushing like crazy and standing stiffly, as if they'd leave if he didn't acknowledge them, but he was probably secretly enjoying the attention.

"What's the matter, boy?" one girl asked. "Feeling shy?" She leaned down closer to him and kissed him on the cheek, leaving a lipstick mark.

I blinked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot, clearing my throat as loudly as I could - for even _that _hurt slightly. I plastered on a knowing smirk so that I could irk Ren.

The girl who kissed Ren looked over and sighed. "Aw, why do all the cute ones have to be taken?" she whined.

I felt my face heat like fire as the other girls whined as well, and my knowing smirk fell off my face to be placed by sheer embarrassment. Ren's eyes caught mine, and he blushed an even deeper red before hurrying away from the girls and grabbing my arm as he walked away stiffly. If anything, I think my face became even hotter. I couldn't stop staring at that stupid lipstick mark on his cheek.

Ren stopped very suddenly and let go of my arm; his face seemed to have gotten over his embarrassment, but he was still as stiff as a board. "C'mon. Let's go find the others," he grunted.

I nodded even though he wasn't looking at me and followed as he walked off in a random direction, hands in his jacket pockets.

()()()()()()()()

It wasn't until we were all gathered together at a park bench that I realized I hadn't told Ren that the girl had left her mark on his cheek. As the Chinese shaman spoke about how none of us had gotten any information on Patch Village, Ryu and Yoh were grinning at him, while HoroHoro looked like he was going to blow up as his eyes darted from Ren's cheek to me, and I realized with widened eyes that the Ainu thought _I _had left it there. I fought to keep the heat out of my face. I didn't even _wear _lipstick, for goodness's sake, but I couldn't really lie to myself that I _hadn't _kissed Ren before, but that was so I could get him away from me before he could kill me. That didn't count. Nor did I _want _one to 'count.'

"I guess we can't find it that easily," Ren finished. He opened his eyes as he realized that the boys were staring at him.

"What are you talking about?" Ryu asked slyly. "You got so much stuff."

"Who'd you get that from?" HoroHoro asked, barely keeping the anger out of his voice as he pretended to be acting like this was amusing.

Ren suddenly covered his cheek. "N-no!" He glared at me. "You should've told me that there was something on my face!"

The other boys looked at me expectantly, all but HoroHoro grinning. Though I was sure I was blushing, I put on a disgusted look. _'I left him for two minutes to go to the bathroom and I come back and he's surrounded by fan girls.'_

HoroHoro blinked. Then he grinned at Ren and elbowed him. "You're pretty good to get a kiss."

"You idiots!" Ren cried; I'd never seen him so embarrassed. "We have to find Patch Village now."

"Where did you do it?" HoroHoro insisted. "Tell me."

Ren was far from impressed. "You bastards!"

"Are you looking for Patch Village?"

We turned around to see that a girl had come up behind us. She had dark green hair and wore glasses, a sweater vest, and a plaid skirt. I blinked when I recognized her shamanic aura from earlier, at the oasis. What did she want?

"Yeah," HoroHoro agreed. "Do you know anything about it?"

"I know a person who knows about it," the girl replied.

"Really?" HoroHoro said excitedly, standing up.

"Yes. I'll take you there. Follow me." With that, the girl turned and started walking down the street, Ryu and HoroHoro following her immediately while Yoh followed a little slower. I looked back at Ren to see that he was glaring; he knew that this was too easy. Nevertheless, he got up and followed; I walked somewhat near him. I had no doubt we were walking into a trap, but I couldn't say anything.

()()()()()()()()()

We left the main town area and arrived at a large house that looked almost abandoned, with graying paint and a shaggy lawn. Over in the bushes, I could sense three other shamans as well, but when I looked with my eyes I couldn't see them.

The girl walked up to the door. "This is the place. Come in."

Inside, Ren, Yoh, and HoroHoro took a seat on the couch while Ryu and I stood. A figure was sitting in a chair looking away from us out a window.

"You're looking for Patch Village?" a woman's voice asked.

"That's right," Ryu agreed.

"We have no idea where it is," HoroHoro put in. "Any clues would be fine."

_You have got to be kidding me, _I thought. The figure wasn't even moving - not even showing signs of _breathing_ - and there was a slight piece of fabric in the crack of the wardrobe, visibly indicating where the woman really was. Hiding in the closet.

"Hm… Patch Village?" the 'figure' said as I walked over to her. I could tell that the others were giving me quizzical looks behind my back, but I wasn't going to allow us to be tricked. I heard the girl who had brought us here make a sort of quiet gasp as I forcefully pushed the teddy bear out of the coat and onto the floor, all while 'it' said, "I've heard of it somewhere" as if it were talking about the weather and not having its head topple to the ground.

"Holy _shit_!" HoroHoro screeched. "Tori, you just… decapitated her!"

"What?" There was a rumble in the wardrobe, and the doors burst open to reveal a blonde woman in a violet dress poking her head out fearfully.

I gave HoroHoro and the others an un-amused look, first pointing to the woman, then to the teddy bear. That was all I was going to explain.

HoroHoro stood up like Captain Obvious. "Then this was a trap!"

The blonde woman looked at us with a sort of challenging face. "I didn't think you would realize it."

Ren stood. "The timing was perfect," he congratulated coldly, stealing all of _my _glory for actually revealing the 'old lady.' "You appeared when we were looking for information about Patch Village. When it's convenient for us."

"Then you're one of them as well?" HoroHoro asked the green-haired girl, his eyes wide.

In response, she flashed a peace sign.

"Are the other three outside?" Yoh asked calmly. "You were the ones that were watching us while we were in the oasis, right? There were five of them at the time."

I looked sharply at Yoh. How could he have known that? _I _was supposed to be the one (secretly) knowing these things.

"Did you know about those five?" HoroHoro asked Ryu.

"Not at all," he responded, equally awestruck.

"You're quite good," the blonde admitted. "We have to- what?"

The house started to shake, and suddenly, the walls came crashing down. Someone - I think it was Ryu, as he was closest to me - grabbed my arm and pulled me through the falling debris towards the others, who were sheltering under the oversouled forms of Amidamaru and Bason. When the dust cleared, it revealed that, in addition to the blonde and the green-haired girl, there were three others who hadn't been in the house when it collapsed. Two of them were the ones who had attacked Yoh when he came out of Yomi's Hole; the last was wearing a leather jacket with matching pants, and had red hair. She was holding an oversouled mallet.

"Those two were the ones that ambushed you at Yomi's Hole!" Amidamaru exclaimed.

"Long time no see," the taller one - Elly? - said.

"We meet again," Milly added. The two had been holding each other like they had been frightened, but Elly let Milly down as the girls formed in a line.

"Hey, who are they?" HoroHoro asked confusedly, probably a little more weird-ed out from the situation than I was.

Yoh tried to remember. "I've only met them once…"

I would have tried to explain, but Ren immediately asked - very hostilely - "Who are you guys?"

"Hmph," the blonde scoffed. "Fine. I'll tell you our names before you die." She held out her hand. "Starting from your right."

The red haired went first and deadpanned, "Sally."

"Lilly," the girl with the glasses added.

"Elly!"

"Milly!"

The blonde held up her head in a sort of impressive way. "Sharona!"

"Why doesn't she have '-ly' in her name?" Yoh asked; I glanced back to see that he, Ryu, and HoroHoro were huddled together. I decided to turn back to the girls.

"What should we do?" I heard HoroHoro whisper. "Should we ask?"

"But it'd be bad if she's sensitive about it," Ryu put in.

I waited somewhat impatiently for the girls to stop being embarrassed over Sharona's name.

"You bastards are the ones who destroyed my airplane?" Ren asked bluntly yet dangerously.

"What are you gonna do if we did?" Sharona asked.

"You guys will pay," Ren vowed. "Even though I have thirty-two planes left, I won't forgive you."

I just about felt myself sweat-drop. I couldn't tell if Ren was mad about his plane being hit, forcing us to walk to Patch Village, or if he was just throwing a fit because of losing one stupid airplane out of a set of thirty-three, now reduced to thirty-two.

"Hmph," Sharona scoffed. "There's no evil or good. You just have to get to Patch Village in three months for the second preliminary. There's no rule that says you can't destroy your rivals before then."

"_However_!" exclaimed a voice; I mentally berated myself for not noticing that Silva had come. He was standing at the top of a nearby pine tree, looking down at us. "If you are defeated in a shaman fight when one of the ten priests is around, then you will be disqualified. So keep that in mind," he warned.

"No way," Sharona argued. "I didn't hear about that."

_It's been true since the beginning, _I thought, but did nothing.

"Read the messages from the Oracle Bell carefully," Silva offered. "It's towards the end. You can scroll the screen by pressing the B Button."

"'B Button'?" everyone-minus-me chorused, fiddling with their Oracles Bells, though I had already read/known everything that was in there and didn't join in.

"Ah!" the boys exclaimed. "You're right!"

I couldn't help but feel both exasperated and amused.

"Did you know that it had a structure in this device?" HoroHoro asked; somehow I had ended beside him and Ren.

"I don't know that much about machines," Ren growled, irritated.

"They should've given us a manual!" I heard Ryu exclaim.

"Now is the time, everyone!" Sharona suddenly exclaimed, and I whipped around to be engulfed by a plume of smoke. I went to oversoul Nix, but suddenly, I realized that the smoke was oversouled. _Spiritual_.

As soon as the word entered my mind, absolute pain coursed through me, and I was lost to the outside world for a moment as I opened my mouth, wanting nothing more to scream but only able to let out a high-pitched but quiet sound. As suddenly as the pain came, it ended, and I saw that the smoke had faded to reveal Yoh and the others surrounding the girls, their oversouls activated. I took in a sudden breath and started coughing, and decided that this would be my excuse for not helping if the others asked.

"This match has been decided," I heard Ren say as I managed to control my coughs. My eyes were burning.

"L-leader!" Elly and Milly cried, looking to Sharona for guidance.

"Our oversouls haven't run out yet," Sharona declared.

"Does that mean you want to die?" Ren asked.

This made Sharona grit her teeth nervously. I'd do the same if I was in her shoes.

"Leader, do something!" Elly begged.

Sharona seemed to deflate. "Looks like we have no other choice but to use our last move."

"You mean…" Elly trailed off.

"We're going to use that?" Milly asked.

"We have no other choice!" Sharona asserted.

"Last move?" Ren asked. I could tell he wasn't impressed.

"What are they trying to do?" Ryu inquired.

Sharona smirked, and then suddenly all five of them were running away, kicking up dust. "It's called running away!"

I blinked, stunned and incredibly unimpressed with their 'tactic.' I could tell none of them had it in them to become the Shaman King (or… Queen…?), no matter what their dream was.

The others were just as taken aback as I was.

"W…what was that about?" HoroHoro asked.

Ryu went next. "How did they pass the first preliminary with that?"

"I know…," Ren breathed.

"Oh well," Yoh said, still carefree. "Don't worry about small things."

"You should worry about bigger things," HoroHoro added.

"You think so?"

I looked back at the tree that Silva had - previously - stood on. Where'd he go? I couldn't sense him in the immediate area. I couldn't remember the last time I'd actually seen him, communicated with him. I was sure he had noticed me earlier, and he was sure to have been worried for my safety for fear of what might happen later in the Tournament if I were to die…

()()()()()()()()

"What?"

It was sunset, and we were back in the main part of town. HoroHoro had been the one who had screamed, pointing at Yoh as he looked at Ren.

"Why is he going to become the leader?"

"I've decided," Ren stated shortly. "We all now share the same fate. That means we'll need a leader."

"Even so, why him!" HoroHoro was beside himself.

"I understand your feelings," Ren said, hands in his pockets. I blinked, surprised to hear those words come out of him. "But I don't like standing in front of a party and being in the spotlight. Put up with it." Ah. That was more like it.

"No one was hoping that you would become a leader!" HoroHoro screeched, throwing up his fists. He turned around. "Say something to him, Ryu, Tori! We can't get to Patch Village with an easygoing person like him-"

"I'll follow you wherever you go, leader!" Ryu exclaimed, kneeling in front of Yoh and holding his shoulders.

"ARGH!" HoroHoro beat his fists against a tree. "Do whatever you want!"

Ren turned to me, though I knew what his answer would be even if I might have said no. _'Fine with me,' _I signed. _'Better than having you as leader.'_

Ren gave me a look that said he was not amused, but then seemed to sort of sigh it off. "Then it's decided."

He looked over to Yoh, and I turned to see that Ryu was… attempting to give Yoh a kiss. I gagged involuntarily and turned away. Ryu just…never mind.

()()()()()()()

The night sky was violet as Ryu held up his oversoul at the highway. Immediately, there was a slight screech of tires, and Billy poked his head out of the driver's window of his pickup and gave Ryu a thumbs-up. My jaw dropped along with the others, though that definitely excluded Ryu.

In no time at all we were on the road; Ryu in the passenger seat with Billy, Yoh on the top of the truck with Amidamaru, and HoroHoro and Ren were on each side of the truck bed, with me in the middle. I looked up at the sky, wondering how all of this could have happened in just one day, our first real day of travel.

I realized that I was content. My earlier nightmare on the plane was just a bad memory, something I could easily push aside. It felt like I could travel forever, just me, as Tori, with my friends. It was an impossible thing - eventually, Tori would have to end and I would have to go on to wait another five hundred years for the next Shaman Fight through countless lives. But until then, I had a pretty good feeling that this would be the greatest adventure of my existence.


	27. Lyserg

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King, never have, never will.**

_'"Don't be so discouraged," Yoh soothed. "It's not like everything in the world is on the computer."' - Okay, Yoh, let's get a few things straight. You, Ren, and HoroHoro - I can only watch you on YouTube. ...What, am I supposed to have more support to back me up? I think I've said enough._

_Anyways, Happy Holidays once again :D I don't know if I can update on Friday like I can usually do since we'll be visiting family, but perhaps on Christmas day I can - I mean, can I give you guys any other present BETTER than another chapter? (Don't answer that.) I have a week and a half off of school starting tomorrow afternoon, so perhaps I can get to really editing my nanonovel... but no promises- I'm starting to learn that MAYBE it's a good idea not to make promises that you're too lazy to keep..._

_Oh, Lyserg. If you weren't such a PMSing girl about killing Asakura You-Know-Who, I might have a soft spot for you. Well, your determination to do it is kinda cool, but after that you go downhill. Oh well, you make the overall plot a bit more interesting, I suppose. You are kinda cute, I'll give you that, but I'm not sure about your hair... On the plus side, I absolutely love that you're a dowser. iwantyourpendulumformyself. MINE!_

Normal text and "speaking," _thought, 'signing/mouthing,' **'telepathy.'**_

_Enjoy! *ambles back to YouTube to watch more HoroHoro videos*_

**Twenty-Seven: Lyserg**

The next day, Billy dropped us off in front of the main building of a town that I hadn't even bothered to learn the name of. I yawned and stretched; I had somehow fallen asleep in the truck bed, and let's just say it wasn't the best place to rest.

As Billy drove away, HoroHoro turned to Yoh. "Now leader, what are we going to do from now on?"

Yoh grinned. "What should we do?"

"_OI_!" Ryu yelled suddenly, cupping his hands around his mouth and aiming his voice at the empty air. "Patch Village!"

I sweat-dropped.

"Hey, where are you going?" HoroHoro asked; I turned to see that Ren had started walking away, but had stopped and looked back.

"If we want to know information on Patch Village, it's best to go to the place with information," he explained, as if it were the most obvious thing.

"Oh! You're right about that," Yoh agreed.

"Where would that be?" Ryu asked.

Ren smirked. "IT."

"Is that the one with that guy carrying an alien on a bike and flying in front of a moon background?" HoroHoro asked.

I put my hands up to my mouth to stifle my giggles. HoroHoro had confused Information Technology with _E.T_.!

Ren grumbled as Yoh explained how HoroHoro had messed up.

"I know!" HoroHoro continued. "It's an abominable snowman in the Himalayas."

Ren's grumbling intensified as Yoh explained that "That's yeti."

"And where is that _E.T_.?" Ryu asked.

In the next moment, Ren had punched both HoroHoro and Ryu, sending them flying into the sky like some sort of cartoon. Yoh sweat-dropped, but I was struggling to contain my laughter.

()()()()()()()()()

I leaned against a bookshelf, observing as HoroHoro, Yoh, and Ryu crowded around behind Ren, who was watching incredibly closely as the library aide typed out the search for Patch Village into the computer. I kept quiet, though it was hard to since it was ridiculous to even _consider _that you could find Patch Village on Bing or Yahoo! or whatever. Not even Google.

"By accessing the data from all over the world like this," Ren explained, "We can find the information on Patch Village."

"That's amazing," Yoh breathed, awed.

HoroHoro had his arms crossed. "Don't talk like a know-it-all until you learn how to use that thing." Kororo cooed in agreement.

"There's no need for that," Ren said. "There are thirty-three specialty operators in the Tao family."

What the hell was it with Ren and the number three? First milk, now three.

"And that yeti is this person?" Ryu asked in confusion.

Yoh and HoroHoro shared an awkward laugh.

Ren put a hand on the aide's shoulder. "Stop it right there. Let me finish."

I raised an eyebrow in interest and came forward. Did the Tao family have some sort of secret way of searching for something via the internet? By the looks on the others' faces, they were wondering that too. It didn't really matter to me, though; I was just curious.

Ren sat in the chair, raised a finger, and then pressed the Enter key.

Yoh, Ryu, and HoroHoro fell down. I smirked in amusement. This was all such a waste of time, but it was fun.

"And that's all?" HoroHoro yelled, jumping back to his feet.

The computer gave a few slight beeps, and Ren frowned. "'No applicable information'?"

"What?" the other boys inquired in unison, each one lost as to why there wasn't anything there.

"There isn't one bit of information on Patch Village," Ren said slowly.

()()()()()()()()()()

Oh, please, they couldn't have honestly thought that they could find Patch Village online, could they?

I wondered this as I leaned against the column of the library. Yoh, HoroHoro, and Ryu sat on the stairs, while Ren leaned against the railing across from me. Everyone was looking into different directions as if trying to think, while I just looked up at the sky.

"That was the worst…," HoroHoro grumbled. "Because _somebody _mentioned IT, we've been up hell and back."

"You mean we've been _to _hell and back," Ren corrected. What a grammar stickler.

"Ahh!" HoroHoro growled in irritation. "You're always so opinionated. Always!"

"Don't be so discouraged," Yoh soothed. "It's not like everything in the world is on the computer."

"That's true, but…" HoroHoro trailed off.

I looked to see that Yoh had stood. "We still have a lot of time so we can look into it little by little." He stretched.

"Look into what?" HoroHoro asked, almost despairingly.

Yoh put his hands on his hips. "It could be anything as long as it has something to do with a shaman fight. Such as words that only exist in certain areas, or even random personal memories."

Random personal memories… Well, I had a ton of those lying around. Though in reality they hardly felt personal…

"So we use the fragments of information that we have and complete the puzzle," Ren clarified.

I already had this 'puzzle' completed. I wondered what the others would do if they knew I had the pieces that they needed to get to Patch Village. First off, they'd probably feel betrayed that I hadn't told them before, and all of that would certainly lead to awkward questions. If that happened, well, I'd just have

to do like the Lily Five and skedaddle away.

…Why couldn't I sound so concerned about this in my head? I can really irritate myself sometimes.

"Yup," Yoh agreed with Ren. "Exactly."

"All right!" I blinked as Ryu stood up. "Now that we've decided, let's go ask around." With that, he leapt off the steps and ran down the road.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

"_What_?" HoroHoro yelled. "A comrade?"

He, Yoh, and Ren were clustered together, all but Yoh looking hostile from where I sat on the edge of the motel bed. Standing across from them were Ryu and a boy I recognized from the first preliminary. He had green hair and wore a plaid shawl-overcoat over a white button-up shirt and odd necktie-thing, like Sherlock Holmes or something. His name was Lyserg Diethel - I didn't need Ryu to tell us that.

"Yeah," Ryu answered. "Like they say, 'While traveling, one should give mercy.'"

Lyserg extended a hand and smiled; he looked rather cute that way, like a doll or something. I found myself wanting his green eyes for myself. "Nice to meet you."

"Hold on a sec," HoroHoro said. "This is too sudden."

Though it didn't really matter to me, I had to agree. I'd seen Lyserg fight once in the preliminaries back in Tokyo; he was incredibly skilled, but fueled by hate, I could tell.

Suddenly Yoh was shaking his hand. "Okay, nice to meet you."

HoroHoro and Ren all but fell down as they simultaneously exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

Though it would've been extremely unlike Yoh not to act like this, I was frowning slightly. I (mostly) trusted Yoh's (insane) judgment; after all, he _had _been right about Ren being a good guy… mostly_. _I wouldn't really mind if Lyserg joined us, but Yoh was really to trusting.

"It's all right guys," Yoh assured us, turning his head back to smile.

"You're so kind, master," Ryu said, a blush of awe across his face. "You also think that it's sad to let a cute person like this travel alone." He sniffed.

…Cute? Sure, _I _thought Lyserg looked kind of cute, but he looked girlish cute, not like a boy much… Ryu… Oh gosh, it was disgusting. Ryu just… weird-ed me out all the time. I mean, people could like whoever they wanted to, but Ryu just grossed me out completely.

HoroHoro pointed. "What do you mean 'cute'? That's a dude! A dude!"

"_What_?" Ryu shouted, taken aback. "Really? You, come here real quick." He grabbed Lyserg by the shoulders and led him out of the room, closing the door behind them. After a moment, Ryu screamed.

_Oh, Great Spirits…_ I put my forehead in one hand and felt my face flush for a moment, realizing how Lyserg must have… proved his gender. I looked up when the door opened, and the two walked back in, Lyserg smiling while Ryu scratched the back of his head sheepishly, muttering about how 'everyone makes mistakes sometimes' with a nervous laugh.

"I'm still against it," HoroHoro said. "To make a guy like this our comrade." He turned to me. "Right?"

I shrugged - for, after all, I was (secretly) the odd one out here, so it didn't matter what I thought. HoroHoro glared like he had expected me to back him, then turned back to Lyserg.

Lyserg's eyes widened for a moment before they narrowed slightly.

"I am also against it," Ren piped up, arms crossed. "We don't even know who he is. He could even be like those girls, aiming to kill us while we're asleep."

Lyserg's eyes were shadowed by his hair. "I won't do anything like that…"

HoroHoro pointed again. "People who say that they aren't suspicious are even more suspicious!"

"I…," Lyserg began. "I just want a strong, dependable group of allies."

"What?" HoroHoro interjected.

"I will test your skills!" Suddenly, Lyserg whipped his arm out; strapped to it was a dowsing pendulum. I stood immediately and had Nix at the ready for oversoul. "It won't mean anything if you are not strong," Lyserg growled. "Morphine! Oversoul!"

There was a swirl of pink as his little pixie spirit entered his pendulum, and Yoh, Ren, and Lyserg grabbed their weapons before jumping out the window, shattering it in the process. I followed and oversouled Nix into wings, my stance completely defensive.

In the blink of an eye, Lyserg's pendulum whisked out and sliced a palm tree; Yoh and Ren had to jump out of the way to avoid it as it crashed to the ground. A second later, Lyserg himself jumped out of the window and stood facing us four, with Ryu still being inside.

"Just as I thought!" HoroHoro accused. "Your whole purpose was to crush rivals!"

"You're wrong!" Lyserg shot back.

I was taken aback, but stayed silent as Lyserg went on to speak quietly:

"It's essential that I get comrades… I will never forgive him!" Lyserg babbled. "I shall have my revenge for my father and mother. I will defeat him! Defeat him! No matter what… Compared to him, I am still week. Still too weak!"

"Him?" Yoh repeated.

I could only guess at who Lyserg was referring to, but I stayed focused on the impending battle. I had to be careful; Lyserg could easily spear me through with his pendulum if he wanted to, but I couldn't attack him ("legally") first. If Nix wasn't as focused as I was, he probably would've been nagging in my mind - again - about how we should've just left everyone behind.

"That's why I need allies," Lyserg continued. His eyes blazed. "Allies, strong enough, both physically and mentally, to defeat him!"

He yelled, and sent out his pendulum, guiding it with his spirit. It flew at HoroHoro, but he dodged, and instead it hit a tree.

"Is that how you act to people to become comrades?" HoroHoro accused. He oversouled Kororo into his snowboard, ignoring Yoh's plea to stop. He readied a Nipopo Punch, and launched himself at Lyserg. Before he could get there, however, Lyserg's pendulum zipped up beside him.

"_Homing Pendulum_," Lyserg explained. "As long as Morphine is oversouled with my pendulum, it will always follow its target."

My eyes widened as the pendulum neared HoroHoro, but Ren jumped into the air, claiming Lyserg to be defenseless before swinging his oversouled Kwan Dao down, but the wire of the pendulum suddenly whipped out, smacking into the both Ren and HoroHoro, breaking their weapons as they thudded down onto the ground.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins, but I stood still, and only breathed again when Ren lifted his head off the ground enough to grunt, "He was actually oversouled with the whole wire…"

A little shakily, I traversed the few steps toward the two and stood in a read position in front of them in case Lyserg decided to attack them again (whether the two of them necessarily _liked _being defended by a girl, I didn't care), but the English boy just returned the pendulum to the device on his hand and looked to Yoh, saying, "Not as good as I expected. Even though what I really need are powerful allies."

Yoh didn't respond, and instead slowly walked past Lyserg and stopped next to me before kneeling beside Ren and HoroHoro; I turned slightly, keeping one eye on Lyserg and another on the trio.

"Are you okay, Ren?" Yoh asked.

Ren's Kwan Dao was in pieces, and he looked sore and out of breath, but he grumbled out, "You should know not to worry about me. I wouldn't give up after just that."

"Damn it," HoroHoro muttered through the obvious pain. "My snowboard…" Kororo cooed in concern.

"I am sorry, Master," Ryu apologized from where he stood a few feet away. "This all happened because of me, because I stupidly decided to bring him here."

"Don't worry about it," Yoh said. "First of all, we need to get them to a hospital."

"What are you doing!" Lyserg demanded, turning around and holding his arms out to the side. "If you don't fight me, how am I supposed to figure out how strong you are?"

If I wasn't so restrained by rules, I might've told Lyserg to shove his pendulum somewhere where it hurts, and then fight him myself. Earlier, I was neutral about him, but I was beginning to feel hatred boil in my blood, like what I had once felt for Ren. The little birdie in my mind was incredibly displeased about even more bias forming inside me, but he could do nothing to stop it - and neither could I.

"I don't care about your situation," Yoh explained without getting up. "I'm going to take these guys to a hospital. Move out of my way."

"I won't let you do that!" Lyserg lifted his arm and shot out his pendulum at Yoh, and if I was any faster to act I would have darted in front of the attack, but Yoh easily oversouled Amidamaru into Harusame and broke the pendulum.

My eyes widened in awe but then narrowed in pain as a bit of the shattered glass pricked my arm. I gave a slight hiss and pulled the shard out; it hadn't even gone a centimeter into my skin, but there was a small spurt of blood.

"Sorry about that," Yoh apologized to me softly, eyeing the incredibly slight wound before turning to help Ren up while Ryu hoisted HoroHoro onto his back. After taking one last look at Lyserg, I released control over my oversoul and hurried to walk on the other side of Ren on the small chance that Yoh couldn't support him.

"Wait!" Lyserg called. "I tested your skills, and I want to become your comrade. Remember, I told you I needed strong allies!"

I looked over at Yoh to see him glaring at the ground. "I don't have any intention of becoming allies with someone who hurts my friends."

Lyserg's horror was palpable, even though I wasn't looking at him. We walked painfully slow steps to accommodate for Ren's weakened state.

"It seems as if he's serious about us," Ren noted. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't care," Yoh answered. "No matter how many times he tries it, it will be the same result."

"It won't be the same!" Lyserg yelled. "This is the crystal pendulum my father gave to me. Don't even try to compare it to the cheap glass pendulum I just used."

Yoh stopped walking, and I followed suit, as did Ryu.

"Fight against me!" Lyserg shouted. "If I win, you will become my comrade!"

Couldn't Lyserg take the hint and go away? My fists clenched, and I glared at the ground, my jaw taut.

"Those fights will be pointless," Yoh stated, not even bothering to look back. "It won't be worth anything."

"Even though there's no reason for you, there's a reason for me!" Lyserg declared. I turned just in time to see him send out his pendulum, and we all managed to duck out of the way of the attack. The pendulum kept going, however, and it embedded into the motel sign; Lyserg used this to pull himself through the air like he was flying.

"You can't run away from me," Lyserg vowed. _"Big Ben Wire!"_

His wire shot out, and in a matter of seconds, there was a giant, glowing, upside-down figure of the Big Ben clock tower, its tip aimed straight at Yoh and the rest of us. Though the rest of us were tensed, Yoh didn't move.

"Every part of this is a weapon, and at the same time a shield!" Lyserg said as he began falling towards the ground with his oversoul. "My full furyoku will crush every single one of you!"

Instinct flared up inside me, and I jumped backwards, but I was unfocused as I stared up at the _giant flipping tower_, and I slipped and fell onto my butt. I was about to scramble away, but my arms felt like jelly.

"How about that? I won't let you say you won't fight!" Lyserg screeched.

"Hey…," Yoh began, still calm, but his words were underlined with… anger, perhaps? Impatience? "Who are you fighting?" Yoh turned his head around, visibly irritated, then unsheathed Harusame.

"_Amidamaryu Gokoujin!"_

With a great, golden slash, Yoh broke Lyserg's oversoul with ease, and the English boy fell to the ground, gasping.

I blinked, then stood up when I realized that I was just sitting there on my butt. The adrenaline left me, and I felt a little drained. If not for Yoh, however, this could've been far worse.

The easygoing shaman walked slowly up to Lyserg, who was on his hands and knees. Lyserg looked up.

"You were fighting against someone from your past who isn't me," Yoh explained quietly. "That's why you started this meaningless fight."

Lyserg let out a sort of strangled breath as he hung his head (what disturbed me most was that this sound was a lot like when I tried to scream without Nix). He let out a cry, like a little hissy fit.

"I…," he began, voice rough as he struggled to control his sobs. "Need allies and yet…" He lifted his head. "Why won't you _understand_?" he yelled.

Yoh punched him.

I was startled, barely comprehending as Lyserg fell back to the ground, probably equally surprised as me. I'd never seen Yoh do that; I never expected him to, either.

"I don't know what happened," Yoh said. "But you tried to use your allies for your own purposes. That was payback for your selfish deeds."

Lyserg stared at him for a second before hanging his head in shame.

"I'll listen to your reasons at the hospital."

Lyserg looked up in surprise.

I couldn't see Yoh's face from this angle, but the way he held himself made me one-hundred-percent sure that he was smiling. "Let's go, Lyserg."

He turned and began walking away, as did Ryu, Ren, and HoroHoro (the latter two must have recovered enough to walk). I looked at Lyserg once before I hurried after them. I understood a little that Lyserg was fighting against his past and not us (well, he did _attack_ us…), but I couldn't quite forgive him for that. Unlike the hatred I had once felt for Ren, though, I could push this aside; if Lyserg wanted to become the Shaman King, he'd have to push aside his anger, too. Right now, though, I didn't care what he did.

I heard footsteps, and I glanced back to see him following us.


	28. The Dithels

**DISCLAIMER: Shaman King is not mine!**

**_Wooooooot! Happy Holidays! As a special treat, this chapter, and, if you want, you can head on over to my dA account (link's in my profile) and see a couple pics of Tori (no color, sorry, I suck at it XD). I uploaded them... Two days ago, yeah. They're sort-of spoilers, but I didn't explain any of them in the descriptions :3 Much._**

_Oh, what else did I want to talk about... I knew there was something, and I told myself to write it down, but I didn't. Oh well. I got a calligraphy kit for Christmas. Borders giftcard (ooh... I can get more Fruits Basket even though I already read it online...), GameStop giftcards (I no longer have to pay out of my own pocket when Pokemon Black & White comes out! :D And even then I'll have some left over for when I get the 3DS!). Got a Deathly Hallows shirt ("OBLIVIATE!" it says, mwahaha), a BIG chest of hardcover Harry Potter books, and pens I wanted to draw with :D Plus a little manikin, although 7 heads high is a bit tall for a manga figure... Never mind Tori, as she's not as tall as an adult, being only 14 ._

_Plus I got clothes. But who cares about clothes? Certainly not me. Usually._

_I need to figure out something for Ren-sama's birthday. Last year it was my first SK fic (don'tgetmestartedonthat), but I don't know what to do this year... Maybe a parody of my first two SK fics. I'll have to get crackin', though, his birthday's in a week o.o Plus I need to get going writin' faster for this, or update only once a week... I'm slowly starting to run out of the chapters I haven't edited, my updated chapters are starting to catch up to my in-writing ones... if that makes sense. If I get done the chapter I'm writing RIGHTNOW (39) done before Tuesday, I'll upload 29 that day; if not, I'll upload Friday. Conditions permitting, of course._

_If you haven't figured out that I'm just babbling to may or may not get more words, well... I don't know._

Normal text and "speaking," _thought, 'signing/mouthing,' **'telepathy.'**_

_Stupid basic filler episode... I don't care about Lyserg's parents... Or those three frickin' goons..._

**Twenty-Eight: The Diethels**

At the hospital, a nurse patched up my arm (apparently, there was still a small sliver of glass in it, but no biggie). When she was finished, she took another look at Yoh, Ryu, HoroHoro and Ren across the room (the latter two had already been attended to and were bickering to each other), then back at me.

"What happened to you three?" she asked, in English. She obviously didn't know any Japanese, or else she would've known that HoroHoro was commenting on her body at that precise moment.

I blinked, then signed, _'Those two got into a scuffle.'_

The nurse stared at me for a moment. "Oh… so, you're deaf?"

Ah. How other people could feel so awkward. Good thing I was used to this.

I shook my head, then pointed at my throat and mouthed a bit.

"Er…" The nurse looked incredibly uncomfortable; shouldn't she have learned at least a little bit of stuff about other languages? Maybe she was new and couldn't handle pressure well. In either case, I didn't really care.

"She's mute," Ren called over in English, obviously irritated. "_Baka,_" I heard him add. I almost snorted in laughter at this for some reason.

"Oh." Her face went a little red. "Well. Um, you all are set. Just go out to the reception area to pay."

"Thank you," Yoh replied, his obvious accent seeming to unnerve the nurse a little more. I stood up from the bench and followed the others out the door and left the nurse behind.

"That nurse looked a lot like Aoya Imori, didn't she?" HoroHoro asked. Instead of his usual headband, his head was wrapped in bandages that looked to be more for show than anything else.

"Be quiet," Ren snapped, wrapping his own roll of bandages around his arm with a scowl on his face. "Can't you stay quiet for even a second?"

We came into the reception area and saw Lyserg stand up from where he had been sitting on a bench with Morphine.

"Lyserg," Ryu began, "They are all okay."

"There was nothing wrong with me to begin with," Ren grumbled.

I rolled my eyes. _Says the guy who's wrapping a bandage on his arm._

"You're trying to hard," HoroHoro pointed out. "You're spear's in pieces."

Ren's tongari twitched a few times in succession. "What did you say? Compared to your snowboard, it's…"

"I'm really sorry," Lyserg apologized, bowing his head. "I will pay for all the medical expenses." He held out a blank check to Yoh. "Please write any amount you wish on here and use it."

Oh, hell, I'd take that (not that I really needed money, but the Patch always could use a little extra). I bet HoroHoro would too.

"Trying to buy your way out, huh?" Ren grunted, arms crossed. He was not amused.

"Please use it to repair your weapons," Lyserg added. "Well then…" He turned around and began walking away.

"Lyserg."

The green-haired boy stopped at Yoh's voice, but did not turn around.

"I told you I would listen to your reasons," Yoh said, very friendly.

Lyserg looked back at us - more at Yoh, actually.

()()()()()()()()()()

We sat in a diner booth - somehow, I ended up sitting between Ryu and Ren. I ignored them both and sipped on my hot chocolate (okay, so it wasn't winter yet - big whoop. I liked my hot chocolate - plus, it didn't seem that they had any good tea) and waited for Lyserg to speak.

The English boy looked at his teacup, eyes downcast. "My father, Liam Diethel, was the world's number one detective and an expert of dowsing," he said slowly. "He was… my role model. When I was six, I was crazy about finding the key that my father hid. If I could find it, I would be one step closer to my father. That's what I believed." He paused for a moment. "I managed to find the key hidden in Big Ben; I freed Morphine from her cage and went to show my parents that I was a dowser. But when I got back… Everything was on fire. Someone had killed my mother and father.

"After I had inherited the oversoul, I finally found out that he was Hao, and I learned that he was going to participate in the Shaman Fight. I met one of the ten Priests, Brumu-san, in Tokyo, and got my Oracle Bell like I was stealing it. But still… I was uneasy. Hao's allies increased in number. That's why, to ensure that I could defeat him, I needed allies as well."

By this time, Lyserg was biting the edge of his thumbnail in thought. I weighed his explanation in my mind; it was sad that he grew up without his parents, but living for revenge wasn't the way. Especially if you wanted revenge against Hao. There was no way Lyserg would win, especially at his level. _Maybe_, if he got strong enough allies, he'd stand at least a chance of surviving for a little while against Hao, but Hao was ruthless. The only one who had a chance of defeating Hao was his twin, Yoh, but certainly not at the level that Yoh was at now could he do it.

Tears were streaming down HoroHoro's and Ryu's faces as they sobbed at Lyserg's story. I, too, was somewhat touched, but the idea of revenge was still mostly foreign to me, even though I supposed that I _had _wanted to get revenge on Ren for killing Chrom (and for almost killing me and Yoh multiple times), even though I wasn't incredibly close to the priest. Only one slap to Ren was enough to make me rethink, though; revenge wasn't my style. Though, I hardly knew what my style was. Ugh, sometimes I think my opinions are so fickle.

Maybe I had a grudge problem, but I didn't completely trust Lyserg yet - I didn't know if I ever would. I knew I'd never trust him like the others, at least.

"I never thought that you had such a tragic past," Ryu cried, holding an arm over his face.

"Yeah," HoroHoro agreed. "Compared to your past, our stories are…" He reached over in an attempt to give Lyserg a hug or something, but the English boy stood suddenly and HoroHoro fell onto the seat sideways.

"But I was mistaken," Lyserg murmured, staring despairingly at the table. "There's no way someone as weak as me could have any allies. I have to become strong first."

Yoh stood as well, his usually calm demeanor suddenly concerned; it looked odd on his face, but it wasn't like concern was foreign to him. "Hey. That's not true."

"You don't have to force him to join us." Ren was suddenly standing up and pointing the tip of his Kwan Dao (which was broken in half) at Lyserg. His arm was right in front of my face, and for some reason, this transfixed me more than the fact that he was basically threatening Lyserg right then and there.

"Any more and it would be a waste of time," Ren finished before stalking away swiftly outside the diner.

"Oi, Ren!" Yoh slid out of the booth and followed the Chinese shaman out.

I blinked after them, wondering if I should leave too. Follow them, figure out what they were thinking. I shook myself mentally, telling myself for probably the thousandth time that I was not the decision-maker in this group; I shouldn't even be _part _of the decisions. My opinions never mattered, anyways, after having entire lives of being nothing but neutral.

I glanced back at my cup and then finished off the last of my hot chocolate. I stared at the cup for a moment longer, not caring that the entire table was silent for a moment. I stood up almost suddenly and signed, _'I'll be right back,'_ then went to the bathroom.

Though I disliked water that wasn't nearly-boiling to be on my skin, I splashed a bit from the sink onto my face. I felt like I was in some kind of funk, and I needed to snap out of it, whatever it was. I looked at myself in the mirror, staring at the blue eyes. They suddenly narrowed in emotional overload. When had I last _looked _at myself, and known what I was doing, what I wanted, what I felt? Had I _ever _done it?

I shook myself violently, and splashed more water on my face before drying it with a paper towel. I left the bathroom, walking straight past HoroHoro and Ryu (who didn't seem to notice me at all; I think HoroHoro might've been chasing Kororo around for some reason, but I didn't care) and out into the street. I needed some air.

I took a moment to look around and decide where to go. I blinked when I noticed Yoh a little ways away, leaning against a tree like he could easily take a nap. Seeing him somehow reminded me that I hadn't seen Lyserg inside… I sighed. I needed a break from everything. Ignoring Yoh (who I think opened one eye at me) I walked away from the diner and from him.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Somehow, after an immeasurable amount of time went by, my wanderings brought me to a large chain-link fence surrounding an empty field. I frowned at the shamanic energy in the area, recognizing Lyserg's aura and three others. Maybe I'd unconsciously followed their energies here, like a dog would a scent or something.

…I seriously just compared myself to a dog. I must _really _be in a funk.

There were a lot of bushes on the inside of the fence; I scuttled over towards them and peered through the fence to watch.

Lyserg was facing off against three goons I vaguely recognized from the Shaman Fight in Tokyo; one muscled-up man, a gangly guy with an afro, and a senior citizen with some weird scepter-thing.

The senior held out a card, and in a flash, his spirit hid him and the other two behind two different shields of invisible cards. This didn't perturb Lyserg, however; the dowser focused for a moment, then shot out his pendulum, oversouling Morphine into it. Easily, the pendulum broke the shield protecting afro-guy and muscle-man.

Lyserg's pendulum wire went slack.

The two men grinned as they held up the cage that trapped Morphine.

"T-that's Morphine's cage!" Lyserg stuttered, taken aback. "How?" He stiffened. "Could it be…Hao?"

"He's been aware of your weakness for a long time," the old man said, walking up behind him.

"Without your spirit, we won't even need our oversouls to defeat you," muscle-man snickered as he and afro-guy stalked up.

I watched as one of them knocked Lyserg to the ground; the dowser barely resisted at all. My fingers clenched around the wire of the fence. Apparently, Milly had come with him, but the trio had trussed her up and left her to hang from a tree. Something told me that maybe I should help, but a very dark side of me said that Lyserg deserved this for trying to hurt us. I knew Lyserg had his reasons, and that I really should come out and help, but I just couldn't bring myself to move.

"What's the matter with you?"

Startled, I whipped my head around to see Ren standing behind me, his eyes hard and unreadable.

"I thought you'd have gotten over your little anger issues," he continued, stalking forward. "Guess I was wrong."

I could only stare as he easily leapt over the fence, and hurried forward to rescue Lyserg from the trio, who were arguing amongst themselves over who got to finish the dowser off. As if Lyserg were as light as a feather, Ren lifted him and hurried away from the bickering, oblivious men to place the English boy on the ground. There was no thought process going on in my mind; I only saw Ren's determined eyes as he stood and faced the men.

"Don't!" Lyserg pleaded, weakly pushing himself up. "I destroyed your medium. You can't oversoul right now."

"So what?" Ren asked. He smirked. "It's been a while since I've done this. Bason!"

My eyes widened as I watched Ren perform a simple unity with his spirit. Hyoi Gattai… that couldn't beat an oversoul. What was Ren doing?

"The leader said he would make you one of us," I heard Ren say to Lyserg as he glared at the opponents. With that, the Tao jumped straight into the air, kicking one of the men straight in the face and managing to dodge the oversoul counterattack.

Ren was at a disadvantage here. He and Lyserg were in trouble. I grabbed the fence with both hands as if I was going to scale it, then stopped myself. It was against my rules to attack those men, but I _could_ go shield Lyserg. Neither sounded like a good choice to me (okay, so I'll admit, I didn't like Lyserg! Okay!); what I really wanted to do was help Ren to fight against them. But I couldn't…

…unless it was in self-defense.

I could tell that Nix was completely opposed to the idea, but I oversouled him anyways. I lifted off with my wings and hopped over the fence. I blinked in surprise when I saw that HoroHoro had appeared, united with Kororo.

Before I could see if anyone else had come, the old man yelled and had his oversoul shoot out cards like razors at HoroHoro and Ren, who pitifully shielded their faces against the attack. Quickly, I jumped in between them and the man and folded my wings in front of myself to protect against the onslaught.

The man stopped his attack and glared at me. "Young lady, I believe it would be best if you left before we're forced to hurt you."

I raised an eyebrow but didn't respond otherwise.

After being prompted by HoroHoro, Lyserg dashed past me towards Morphine's cage, but tripped at the attack from muscle-man, who then stood over him threateningly. I made a sort of jerking motion towards him, but stopped myself, mentally cursing the frustration I felt against my rules.

"Morphine!" Lyserg cried as the man swung his oversoul-anchor in preparation to strike. However, before he could, Ryu appeared out of nowhere and knocked the man onto the ground with his oversoul.

"What are you guys going to do?" Yoh stepped out of the bushes, his oversoul on as well. His eyes were as calm as ever, but he was smirking a bit. "We still have our mediums."

"We can't turn back now!" The old man's clown oversoul shot out more aura-encased cards, which Ryu easily cut to shreds before causing the man to fall to the ground.

"Who would've thought that you would come first, Ren?" Ryu noted.

A pang of guilt shot through me, and I was one hundred percent sure that Ren was thinking the same thing that I was; that I could have easily been the first one here to help. However, Ren said nothing about it.

Yoh smiled. "I figured as much. Ren isn't cold-hearted."

"I just couldn't stand watching them, that's all," Ren growled, hands on his hips.

"Sure, sure," Yoh laughed.

Ren blushed and scowled while HoroHoro grinned. I lowered my eyes for a moment.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" the afro-man suddenly shouted. "You're letting your guard down!" He held up his medium. "I'll squash all of you with Jump!"

A giant, Loch Ness Monster-esque spirit was suddenly hurting down towards us, its fat, splayed fins ready to squish us like bugs.

"It's huge!" HoroHoro yelled.

"It's no big deal!" Ryu scoffed.

"Wait!" Lyserg called. "Everyone, let me do it!"

"What the hell did you say?" afro-man demanded. I followed his gaze to where Morphine's open cage sat, then looked up to see that Lyserg's Big Ben Wire was aimed directly at the Loch Ness Monster oversoul. Afro-man's jaw dropped.

Lyserg yelled, and his oversoul stabbed into the Loch Ness Monster, squishing it to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

()()()()()()()()()()()

A little while later, at sunset, we all regrouped under a lamppost at a bench. Lyserg held out a map on his lap, the crystal of his pendulum pointing towards northern Arizona. Morphine sat on his arm.

"I'm not absolutely positive," Lyserg pointed out, "but many contestants are headed in this direction. I can only assume that they know the whereabouts of the village."

Actually, Patch Village was more southeast than where Lyserg's pendulum was pointing, but I wasn't going to correct him.

"In other words, we should head in that direction as well," HoroHoro clarified, peering at the map.

"Hai," Lyserg agreed.

"All right," Yoh called cheerily. "Then let's head in that direction at a nice, slow pace."

Lyserg stood. "But Hao and the others should be there as well. At this rate, I'll drag you guys into the fight against Hao."

I blinked, just barely managing to hide an eye roll. This group already had two things that Hao wanted: me and Yoh. In Hao's world, Lyserg was probably just a minor little nuisance. A bug easily squashed. Or burned.

I turned and followed the others as we started walking away. I felt guilty about not helping Lyserg before, but I still didn't really like him all that much. I could deal with him, though.

I frowned. Maybe Ren was right. Maybe I did have anger issues.

Or just issues in general.


	29. Blizzard

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King.**

_HAPPY BIRTHDAY LENNNYYYYYYYY! :D Happy New Year as well! To celebrate, I have this wintery chapter for you all :D And of course, Ren's featured a bit :D I feel though that Tori does a kinda OOC thing, but I'm much too lazy to change it_; _it doesn't matter that much._

_Another thing that I'm doing to celebrate Ren's birthday is upload the first few chapters of my Shaman King NaNo Fic :D It's different than anything I've ever written, let me tell you that... But I'll put them up after I upload this chapter, so keep a lookout please :D_

Normal text and "speaking," _thought, 'signing/mouthing,' **'telepathy.'**_

_**HAPPY BIRTHDAY REN! XD**_

**Twenty-Nine: Blizzard**

Though it was tiring, I had oversouled Nix into fiery wings to wrap around myself so that I wouldn't freeze my ass off. The blizzard we were trudging through left the sky dark and our eyes squinted against the wind (or, at least, _my _eyes - I could barely tell what the others were doing). The river we were traveling beside was frozen solid.

Have I ever said that I _hate _the cold? Well, I don't. I _despise _it. Just the slightest bit made me shiver, and if it weren't for Nix, I was absolutely sure that I'd be turning into a Popsicle and dying in a matter of about half an hour. Already my teeth were chattering together.

"You sure this is the right direction?" Ren asked, raising his voice above the screaming wind.

"Hai," Lyserg confirmed. "Like I said before, I'm still an amateur at dowsing. I can only picture that Patch Village." He turned around to face Yoh - at least, I'm pretty sure he did. "But because shamans have strong auras around them, I can find out where they're going."

Oh, we were going in the right direction all right. Too bad we couldn't have gone around this stupid blizzard or something. I snuggled deeper into my jacket and wrapped my wings around myself even tighter.

"So that means there are shamans who are headed towards this mountain?" Yoh asked.

"Or so I thought, but…" Lyserg sounded doubtful. After a moment, he suggested hopefully, "Let me try dowsing again. Morphine," he called.

"Now?" Ren sighed.

Ren _must've _been made of ice. I don't think he was even shivering in the slightest.

"That won't be necessary," Amidamaru said, appearing.

"He is correct, Bocchama," Bason added. "It might be hard to see to the naked eye, but…"

The wind died down very suddenly and conveniently, and I could just make out the light of a torch somewhere ahead of us in the valley, as well as on the mountain at least two or three miles away. Fire…heat…

"Every single one of them is headed towards the other side of the mountain," Tokagero pointed out.

"Then this is the right way," Yoh said.

"You're amazing, Lyserg-chan," Ryu praised.

There was a sudden scream of delight from ahead of us as HoroHoro raced down the sides of the valley on his newly-repaired snowboard. He did a jump, then landed and wobbled, losing balance and falling over. His momentum kept him going, however, and he was rolled into a giant snowball as he continued his descent until he crashed into the wall on the other side of the valley. I found it amusing, but I couldn't laugh through my almost-frozen jaw.

"Will someone please keep him on a leash?" Ren sighed as we continued walking.

"The snowy mountains are like a home to HoroHoro," Yoh pointed out while Lyserg went to dig the Ainu out.

"I-I d-don't find it like a home." I couldn't help putting this in; the cold caused me to stutter, even with Nix's usually impeccable mastery over my vocal chords.

Yoh gave me a sympathetic look. "We'll find a place to stop out of the wind soon, Tori."

"Think you can make it?" Ren sneered.

I gave him a glare, though I think his comment was more of a disguised tease than anything else.

After Lyserg successfully dug HoroHoro out, we set off again. The Ainu sneezed, a frozen bit of snot hanging off of his nose as he clutched at himself for warmth. In pity, I fed a bit more furyoku to my wings to make them longer and wrapped one around HoroHoro, also pulling him closer to me. He sent me a grateful look, his face red from probably more than the cold. "Guess I can't underestimate nature as a shaman."

"You're one to talk," Ryu pointed out.

"Now, now," Yoh calmly chastised. His voice grew troubled as he went on. "At this rate, we'll freeze to death."

"We might become like that," Amidamaru added, pointing towards three snow-people someone had-

Yoh's laugh turned into a gasp just as I picked up the faint shamanic energy coming from the figures. Hurriedly, he ran towards them and wiped the snow off one of their faces to reveal a frozen Sharona.

()()()()()()()()()

After dragging the Lily Five to a little cave in the side of the valley, Ryu and Yoh ran out to grab firewood and came back about ten minutes later with a bundle, which I set on fire with Nix. I was grateful for the shelter from the wind, though the thawing out of the Lily Five came down to me as the others sat back against the opposite wall. Before too long, however, the women were in working order, and I went to sit in the space between HoroHoro and the exit.

Milly bowed. "Thank you very much…"

"Oh, it was nothing," Ryu began while she was still speaking, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "We only did the obvious."

"…Lyserg-sama," Milly finished with a smile.

As one, I and the boys turned to Lyserg. "Sama?" Yoh repeated.

"Why?" Ren added.

Tears were immediately streaming down Ryu's face, and Lyserg looked a little stunned.

HoroHoro looked irritated, like he was trying to deal with stupid people - Ren would definitely find this ironic. "Why are you climbing the mountain in that clothing?" he asked the Lily five - the only one wearing actual pants was Sally, and even then, not ones that would protect against the cold. "Don't underestimate Mother Nature."

"That's because the leader said it would be a waste of money," Elly explained.

Sharona's eyebrow twitched. "Shut up."

"I told you," Lily put in.

Yoh shrugged. "Guess it can't be helped. This must be some kind of fate. Let's go together," he offered.

I blinked. The Lily Five… they were all right, but I could tell they wouldn't be the ideal traveling buddies.

"With them?" HoroHoro yelled.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Ren snarled at Yoh. "They are our enemies."

Yoh smiled. "If we bunch together with these numbers, won't it be pretty warm?"

"Bunch together?" Ryu repeated.

I almost hid my face in my hands, not even wanting to _think _about what Ryu was thinking. I cast my mind out to think of _anything _else, and then I stiffened and looked behind me out the exit of the little cave.

…Hao…

"What are you thinking, you pervert?" Sally hissed at Ryu; I turned my head to look back only slightly.

"Well," Sharona replied, "if you insist on it, we will go with you."

Lyserg's pendulum suddenly shot out, almost slashing Sharona in the neck. The wire stretched taut; Morphine floated beside the twitching crystal, glaring outside.

"What's wrong, Lyserg?" Ryu asked.

_If only there was nothing wrong… _I desperately did _not _want to see Hao, but there would be no legitimate reason for me not to check it out if the others went.

"This reaction…" Lyserg hissed. His voice suddenly rose as he stood and dashed past me out the tunnel. "There's no doubt about it!"

"Lyserg!" Yoh called. When Lyserg didn't stop, everyone stood at the same time, including me, mentally cursing Hao as I ran outside. Why couldn't he just forget about me and Yoh and leave us alone?

"Hey!" HoroHoro exclaimed in wonder. "The blizzard stopped!"

"Are you blind?" Ren snapped.

"_What_?" HoroHoro yelled.

"It's not snowing around this area," Yoh explained.

My eyes were trained on Hao and his posse. Hao was using his abilities to create a dome of warmth, warding off all wind and snow. The Asakura stared at us calmly, his eyes startlingly like Yoh's when the easygoing shaman was calm.

"Hao," Lyserg snarled. I don't think I'd ever heard so much contempt put in one syllable.

"The blizzard is avoiding them," Yoh whispered behind me.

"Is that possible?" Ryu asked.

"Are you saying that he can even control the weather?" Ren hissed.

One of Hao's lackeys - a guy with a hairstyle similar to Ryu's (what the _heck_?) - huffed. "Looks like you won't make it to Patch Village if you can't deal with this mountain."

"What?" Ren snapped.

"I think you should turn back now and wait for the blizzard to stop," Hao advised. "Since you guys probably won't survive what I'm about to do."

"What are you going to do?" Yoh asked.

The same lackey sniggered. "Hao-sama is going to use the great power of nature to wipe out fake shamans who fear the great Mother Nature by-"

Hao stopped him with an outstretched hand.

"I need you to become stronger," Hao said to his unknowing twin. "I don't want to kill you right now…" His eyes switched from watching Yoh to look at me for a moment. "You look like you'll freeze to death, Tori-chan. Please don't." He smiled.

With that, he turned and began to walk away.

"Don't ignore me, Hao!" Lyserg screamed, sending out his oversouled pendulum. Calmly, Hao held out his hand and stopped the pendulum, causing the wind and snow to suddenly blast at us again and for Lyserg to fall down.

I immediately shielded my eyes from the wind, the cold gripping me.

"Wait for us, Hao-sama!" I heard Sharona call. I peeked around my arm to see her, Sally, and Elly run after Hao and his group. "Please take us with you!"

()()()()()()()()()()()

A little while later, we all sat gathered around the fire. Lyserg had somehow been knocked out and was lying on the floor with Milly by his head, the rest of us gathered in a loose circle against the wall. I sat closest to the exit and furthest from the fire, not wanting to be close to anyone. I was unnerved after Hao singled me out.

"You guys aren't going with them?" HoroHoro asked almost bitterly to Lily and Elly, the only two of the Five who hadn't ran after Hao.

"I…" Milly began. She looked down just when Lyserg opened his eyes. She beamed. "Lyserg-sama!"

"You should lie down, Lyserg," Yoh advised as the dowser sat up.

Lyserg stared at the ground forlornly. "Can we defeat Hao like this?"

Ren huffed in scornful amusement. "What are you scared about?"

"You saw it as well, didn't you?" Lyserg asked, causing Ren to look up at him. "The snow didn't even worry Hao. On top of that, it was as if the blizzard feared Hao and opened a path for him. Hao made the snow obey him. Even nature is on his side."

"Enough!" HoroHoro spat. "There's no way in hell nature would side with someone like him!" the Ainu declared. "There must be some kind of trick-"

"HoroHoro-kun controls snow," Lyserg pointed out. "But you can't stop the blizzard."

I wanted to yell at their ignorance. Hao could control all of the elements, including his own spirit! If he could come and go from this world to the next whenever he wanted, why _couldn't _he control the elements as well? Of course, the others didn't know this, but I was ready to snap. I wish I were used to emotions. It took so little to set me off.

"Lyserg," Yoh began, "I know that Hao is amazing, but-"

"If Hao can even control the weather, we will be fighting nature itself," Lyserg sighed. He suddenly turned to me, eyes harsh. "And why did Hao single you out?"

The question caught me off-guard, and I blinked stupidly.

"Lyserg," Yoh warned.

"Actually," Ren put in, "I'd like to know that, too."

I stood, about to sign when I realized that Lyserg wouldn't understand me. The slight hesitation was all it took for Yoh to jump in.

"Now, guys, let's not turn against each other. There was no reason to say that, Lyserg."

Lyserg glared at me, but then his eyes suddenly lost their power and he turned away. "Sorry," he mumbled.

I stared at the back of his head for a second, but then, as if of their own accord, my eyes darted to Ren, who was staring at me with a raised eyebrow.

"But still," HoroHoro piped up. "There isn't anyone that can control nature."

No one answered him.

()()()()()()()()()()()

Later, as everyone got ready for bed, I stood and crossed my fingers to Yoh to tell him that I was going to the bathroom. He nodded, and I walked out into the blizzard.

I didn't _really _need the restroom (well, okay, one would be very nice right about now - if I didn't care about stuff like _decency_, I'd rather go in that cave in front of everyone than go outside, I hate the cold _that _much). What I really needed was some air away from everyone else. I didn't think I could sleep if I wanted to.

I oversouled Nix into wings again and wrapped them around myself as I leaned against the wall of the valley about twenty yards away from the cave after I'd finished my…business. I relaxed my body into the heat of the wings, and closed my eyes against the wind, letting it drown out any sound that might be made. It whipped at my hair, but I told myself that I didn't care.

I needed to meditate.

Though Nix tried to protest, I deactivated oversoul and sat straight down in the snow and crossed my legs pretzel-style and did my best to ignore the cold and the very strong part of my mind that said I was insane. I closed my eyes again and took a breath, emptying my mind…

I wasn't aware of how much time had passed before I realized that I was being shaken. I snapped open my eyes to see wide golden orbs.

"Kisama!" Ren swore, ceasing to shake me but still gripping my shoulders. "Are you _insane_? You could have frigging _frozen _to death! I thought you were dead!"

I blinked, not comprehending what he meant. For some reason, I was too aware of Ren's closeness instead of the still-whipping wind and snow. As if realizing that he was still clutching my shoulders, he quickly let go and snapped his arms back. He hardened his gaze.

"It's a good thing Yoh made me come out to get you," he hissed.

All this reminded me of the time I'd kissed him to force him to get away from me. I shook myself mentally, not liking where my thoughts were heading.

Ren stood up fully, scowling at the ground. "C'mon," he mumbled in a sudden change of mood. "You need to get back inside."

It was then that I realized that I was covered in snow. I began to shiver almost uncontrollably, my teeth chattering as I straightened out my legs to stand. I was completely soaked. Ren offered me a hand, his expression unreadable as I numbly took it. He pulled me to my feet, and Nix popped into visual existence, and I gratefully oversouled him into wings; unfortunately, I was shivering so badly by now that I could only manage wings that wrapped around my shoulders.

"Why the hell did you come out here anyways?" Ren grumbled as he accommodated for my slow pace, probably sticking close to me in case I fell over.

"T-to meditate," I forced Nix to chatter out. "C-can't think w-with everyone in there."

My gaze was locked on the snowy ground as I clutched myself for warmth, but I could feel Ren's eyes on me. Even in my near-hypothermic state, I could anticipate his question.

"Why _does _Hao have this…fascination with you?"

The words that came out of my mouth were entirely Nix's - _I _sure couldn't come up with a quick answer. "T-think I know? P-probably a trick or s-something. To di-divide us."

Ren was silent for a moment as we shuffled back towards the cave. Ten yards to go.

"…Who are you?" he asked.

To my surprise, there was no malice in the whisper. I wasn't even sure if he meant for me to hear it; he had just barely spoke it, but I had caught it. If he did mean for me to hear, I pretended that I didn't.

Ren knew that I was hiding something. He always had; it started when I had burned his hand. He'd even caught a glimpse of my mark. I wondered if he felt that we had some sort of connection like I had felt when I first saw his tattoo. He and I were so similar; but he was free, while I was in eternal debt. Honorable eternal debt, but still…

Finally, we made it to the cave, where Ryu's voice floated out, talking about the Yamata no Orochi. Ren led me inside, a scowl gracing his features.

"The baka decided to sit in the snow," he announced to the group as he sat down against the wall. Gratefully, I sat down beside the fire, seriously considering sitting _in _it.

"Jeez!" HoroHoro exclaimed, grabbing a blanket.

"Why'd you do that?" Yoh asked, calm but concerned. "You've been gone at least ten minutes."

I shrugged as HoroHoro draped the blanket around my shoulders and wings. My hands were too numb to sign, so I opened my mouth to reply and promptly sneezed.

I sniffed, then randomly grinned for a reason I didn't know. "A-anyone got a tissue?"

()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Looks like it stopped," Yoh noted sometime later.

Sleepily, I opened my eyes. I had dried out beside the fire a while ago, and I had been dozing against the wall ever since, my energy more spent than usual after having kept oversoul for most of the day. Sure enough, the light streaming in the cave from the outside world was brighter than before, and I couldn't hear any howl of wind.

We extinguished the fire and packed up before walking out into the Winter Wonderland. The river was sparkling, completely frozen over, and the snow was shiny and white, undisturbed. It was all a very pretty contrast to the clear blue sky, but still much too cold for my liking, though I could live through it without oversouling for heat. All the same though, I made sure that Nix kept nearby.

"It'll be a piece of cake if we follow the frozen river," HoroHoro declared, his mood obviously enlightened by the scenery. The others were smiling as well, to a certain degree - even Lyserg, just a bit.

"Well then," Yoh said, "let's go."

We all started forward, but Lilly stopped us with a "Wait."

We all looked back to see her looking through her oversouled binoculars. She projected her vision, and I watched with wide eyes as Hao and his lackeys stood on the pinnacle of a hill; one of the lackeys pushed Sharona, Sally, and Elly off onto the frozen river just before Hao ordered Spirit of Fire to melt the ice. In a gush of water, the trio was sent downstream.

"This is bad!" HoroHoro shouted. "At this rate, everyone'll be swamped by the flood!"

"Damn it!" Ryu swore, beginning to run. "We have to tell everyone that this river will overflow!"

Nix was on my shoulder in less than an instant. _**'Oversoul,' **_he commanded. _**'We have to get out of the valley.'**_

I couldn't argue with him this time, but I wasn't going to just abandon everyone here. I oversouled Nix into wings and lifted off, flying about ten feet off the ground as I hurried after Yoh, Ren, HoroHoro, and Ryu.

We didn't get too far, however, before I saw the crest of a wave crashing towards us. Panicked by the sight of what was probably thousands of gallons of water (_cold, _deadly water), I flapped my wings like a chicken and rushed to the top of the valley to watch with wide eyes.

Yoh oversouled Amidamaru and had the samurai block the water, barely managing to keep the water from spilling over. At a word from Ryu, Yoh jumped to the side, and the water continued on its course toward Ryu. Impressively, he swung his wooden sword, and eight great, white serpentine heads rushed out to block the wave.

A second later, the water proved to be too much, and began to burst forth.

"Leave it to me!" HoroHoro yelled, sending out a wind of air that froze the wave solid. Ren followed up with remarkable slices of his Kwan Dao that shattered the ice. Several people fell out, but Lyserg caught them with his wire pendulum.

Feeling incredibly embarrassed for fleeing, I alighted back onto the ground beside them just in time to hear HoroHoro scoff to Lyserg, "Ryu's the only guy you shouldn't look up to, because your hairstyle will certainly become weird."

Though I was still embarrassed, I wanted to laugh at the words coming out of the _spiky blue-haired_ Ainu's mouth.

"What did you say?" Ryu growled.

"You wanna fight?" HoroHoro shot back.

Yoh chuckled, and I looked to see that he had just observed Elly, Milly, and Sharona having a group hug. "I guess it did work out in the end."

I smiled, but Yoh's face suddenly reminded me of his twin. I blinked and looked back upriver.

I didn't think Hao would have risked me and Yoh; I knew for certain that he wanted me alive, at least for now. He must've been testing Yoh and the others.


	30. Milly's Oracle Bell

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. (insert witty, non-cliched comment here)**

_Can you believe that just ten chapters ago, Tori slapped Ren? That's still one of my favorite scenes. I miss the old days already T.T Now Tori's all angsty. Well. Sometimes. I don't know XD I may be un-modest by saying that I write pretty well (how pompous and arrogant am I? XD), but I can very well say that I'm not a people person. I can't understand people that well. I'm not a good judge of character. At all. But why am I talking about me? I don't know how I got onto this topic. *scratches head*_

_*pokes title of chapter and chuckles for no reason before getting back on the topic I wanted to talk about* So, until further notice, Muffled will only be updated on Fridays, unless it's a special occasion or I feel like updating beforehand. The reason for this being is that I want to write the entire story out and work out all the kinks before I edit and upload the chapters. In my previous stories, I just wrote a chapter and put it up, but I don't want to do that anymore, because it stressed me out. However, Remember, being already finished, will be updated on Tuesdays and Fridays._

_Another matter is that I have a poll up on my profile, just for kicks: **IF** Tori ended up with someone, who do you want it to be? (Note that answering the question won't persuade me.) I'm just gonna leave it up there until the story's completed. I like that you, as the reader, have read this far, and that I get reviews (this is the most I've ever gotten for one story o.o arigatou), but I like... a different kind a feedback. I like it when people wonder about what's going to happen next, because that means that you're really thinking about the story, and that's really what I as a writer want to do, not just enjoy the story. :D_

_Now that that sap story's over, enjoy! You should know the lingo of the dialogue by now, I expect._

**Thirty: Milly's Oracle Bell**

"No matter how much we walk, the scenery doesn't change," HoroHoro whined as we walked by the side of a road; now thankfully back in the desert. Had I mentioned before that I hate the cold but love the heat?

"A car hasn't passed by in a while, either," Ryu added.

"America sure is big," Yoh chirped.

Ren scoffed. "In my country, there are roads in which no cars pass for thirty-three days at a time."

I gave Ren a sideways look. What did he do in his spare time? Look up the various thirty-three somethings in China? Unconsciously, I folded my arms behind the small of my back.

"Amazing, Bocchama!" Bason exclaimed.

"What's so amazing about it?" HoroHoro asked, echoing my thoughts.

Ryu sighed. "My legs feel heavy."

"I'm hungry," HoroHoro groaned.

Ren huffed. "You guys haven't trained enough. How pathetic."

If Ren's stomach had growled just then, I would've burst out laughing.

"That's not a problem here," HoroHoro pointed out.

"I wonder if we'll reach Patch Village soon," Ryu pondered aloud.

"…I'm sorry."

Surprised, I stopped and turned to see Lyserg looking pitifully at the ground.

"Because of my lack of strength… how pathetic of me."

Immediately, Ryu rushed to Lyserg's side. "No! Listen Lyserg, it's just that-"

Lyserg spoke over him as if he wasn't there. "We have to reach Patch Village quickly, but all I can find is the shamans' energy. At this rate, we might not even be able to fight Hao."

I resisted the urge to pull Lyserg's hair. Of _course _none us - er, _them _- would be able to fight Hao and win, except _maybe _for Yoh, if the Asakura boy got more furyoku training.

I almost sighed, wishing for the days of easy neutrality. I was certain now that I had bitten off more than I could chew by befriending Yoh and Manta (the latter of who I quickly pushed from my mind - I didn't need a downer this early in the day). But I had to admit, looking back on all of my nearly-unfeeling lives, I think I pitied my past self, but I wasn't entirely sure.

"It's not like Patch Village is going to run away," Yoh pointed out to Lyserg, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Of course, it'll be hard if we have no method of locating it, but we have you with us, so it'll be fine."

With that, he turned and began to walk again, and after a second of incredible guilt, I followed. Judging by the map, we were definitely inching our way towards Patch Village, but not by the most direct means possible. Lyserg wasn't a bad dowser, but I could lead us there far better…

I couldn't help but scowl at the ground. I shouldn't even _consider _breaking the rules, even though I already had tried thinking of ways to multiple times.

Nix appeared on my shoulder. _**'Stop scowling; one of them is watching.'**_

Blinking, I looked over with my eyes to see Ren looking at me, expression unreadable. Immediately, I fixed my eyes back onto the ground, realizing that my face was warm.

"But not only are there no shamans around," HoroHoro said, "There aren't any people, either."

"America sure is big," Yoh repeated.

Ren scoffed, and I looked over to see that he'd gone back to just walking with a relaxed expression on his face. "In my country, there are thirty-three places that have no humans or animals."

"That's my Bocchama! Amazing!"

"What's so amazing about that?"

()()()()()()()()()()()()

That afternoon, we found ourselves in the outskirts of a pine forest. There was nothing truly remarkable about it, although, after about ten minutes of walking:

…_Crash!_

Confused, I turned my head from side to side, looking for the source of the noise.

"That's definitely the sound of an explosion," Ren noted as everyone looked in different directions.

"I wonder what it is," Yoh said.

"Where's it coming from?" HoroHoro asked.

"Hold on." Lyserg held out his dowsing pendulum.

()()()()()()()()()()

"You sure there was a shaman here?" HoroHoro mumbled as we bushwhacked through the tall grass in the forest, he inadvertently flattening a path down for both Ren and I. I scratched my nose, realizing with my senses who we were headed for.

"Hai," Lyserg answered. "I sensed the energy of a shaman in this direction."

"There are a lot of trees here," HoroHoro grumbled.

"What's that?" Ryu asked, suddenly pointing to a figure that was hanging down from the branch of a tree; I almost stopped, the first thought running through my head was that the figure had been lynched, but then I realized that I was being silly.

"It's a big bagworm!" HoroHoro exclaimed.

"So there are bagworms in America as well," Yoh mused.

"Actually," Lyserg pointed out as we got closer to it, and I noticed little white boots pointing out of the top and hair hanging down from the bottom. "I don't think that's a bagworm…"

"Then what is it?" HoroHoro asked.

As if on cue, the 'bagworm' rotated around to reveal itself to be Milly, who looked like she had passed out from a head-rush.

Quickly, we all helped to pull Milly out of her very sticky bindings (well, by 'all,' I mean me, Yoh, Lyserg, and Ryu). By the time she was completely free, she was sobbing like a child - er, which she is.

"M-my O-O-Oracle Bell w-was stolen!" she cried out, causing me to wince from the decibels she emitted.

"Your Oracle Bell was stolen?" Ryu exclaimed, causing more unnecessary noise.

"My Oracle Bell!" Milly sobbed.

Ryu made a fist. "I can't forgive him for attacking Milly-chan!"

"But can you participate in the Shaman Fight with someone else's Oracle Bell?" Yoh asked.

I went through a list of rules in my head, remembering that the Oracle Bell could be reimbursed. It wouldn't work for anyone other than the person it was given to. But still, Milly would have a hard time tracking down the Patch without it. Poor Milly; she never had a chance anyway, but at least she had had hope.

"I don't know," Lyserg replied to Yoh.

"Then what will happen to the person who loses their Oracle Bell?" HoroHoro questioned.

Milly paused from her sobbing to look up.

"I…guess you lose your right to participate in the Shaman Fight," Lyserg answered.

Kind of wrong. But I stayed quiet.

Milly gasped. "No!"

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Ryu said. "After coming all this way?"

"But that acts like a passport," Lyserg explained. "So…"

As one, all the boys let out a "Hmm." Thankful that we'd leave this little crybaby (my ears hurt, okay?), I joined in on their facial expressions.

"I see," Yoh said gravely. "Too bad, Milly."

"I'm disappointed that I lost a good rival," HoroHoro put in.

"Don't worry about it," Ren assured the girl. "You'll get another chance in five hundred years."

That last part made me want to laugh a little, but I stayed quiet. It was a good thing we were leaving; helping Milly get another Oracle Bell or getting back her old one was _very _much against my rules and something I wouldn't even consider doing.

I stood up along with Yoh, who said, "Goodbye, Milly. Let's meet up again sometime." I followed Yoh as he began walking away, not bothering to listen to Ryu's goodbye to Milly.

"Goodbye, Milly," Lyserg threw over his shoulder.

"Poor girl," the boys chorused as we walked away. "What a tragedy. We should be careful as well."

I heard Milly start crying frantically. "The Shaman Fight… My Oracle Bell!"

Nervous, Yoh quickly turned around. "We were just kidding, Milly."

…What? I turned to stare at him.

Lyserg seemed to share my apprehension, though for a different reason then me. "Don't tell me, Yoh-kun," he began. "You're going to…"

Yoh chuckled. "It must be some kind of fate that we met here."

"Then…" Milly's voice was shaky.

Yoh knelt in front of her again. "Yeah. Let's go get your Oracle Bell back, together."

My mouth dropped in a tiny little 'O' as Lyserg tried to argue and Ryu went over to stand beside Yoh and Milly. Lyserg turned to Ren for help, and I looked to see the Tao and HoroHoro stretching.

"The leader has spoken," Ren explained, smirking. "We do what he says."

"I knew Yoh was going to say that," HoroHoro added with a smile.

I wanted to hit my forehead with my palm and grimaced. Of _course _Yoh would say that. What was I thinking?

"Tori-kun?" Lyserg turned to me, even though he could barely understand my sign language.

Before I could think of a way to answer, Yoh turned to us. "We can't depend on Sharona and the others now. Let's help her out."

"But…" Lyserg began.

"Patch Village isn't going to run away," Yoh repeated from earlier. "Okay?"

I gave a clap for Yoh's attention. _'I agree with Lyserg. We can't afford to waste any time. We have a deadline.'_

Though Lyserg couldn't understand what I was signing, he seemed to know that I was taking his side on this one.

Yoh frowned a little. "What's up, Tori? I thought you'd want to help."

I pursed my lips, thinking up a response. _'I just don't want to help an enemy.'_

I could feel everyone staring at me, but I kept my gaze on Yoh, who was still frowning slightly, like he didn't quite believe me. That made me feel a little guilty (even more when I thought about the lies he _did _believe) , but I wasn't going to back down. I wasn't going to go against my rules like _this_.

When Yoh didn't answer, I just let out a huff, turned on my heel, and stalked off into the woods.

"Tori!" I heard HoroHoro call. "Where-"

Someone broke him off, but I didn't turn around to see who did it. I just kept walking, feeling determined but rather wretched inside.

After a slight pause, I heard Yoh call out, "We'll meet up with you later, Tori!"

I almost stopped, but then I kept walking, oversouling Nix into wings along the way before taking off and flying into the air.

'_**You'll have to leave them eventually,' **_Nix pointed out as we rose above the trees and into the sky. _**'Why not now?'**_

I stared at the greenery rolling away beneath us, then out to the desert that stretched out on all sides. _**'…I don't want to,' **_I admitted quietly.

'_**If one of them **_**does **_**become the Shaman King, they'll never accept your aid, you know that, right?' **_Nix asked, mentally inserting a huff.

I was about to respond when I heard a sudden "OI!" Blinking, I realized that I hadn't been paying attention to where I was and just narrowly missed flying headlong into a crow that radiated shamanic energy. Startled, I faltered midair, and I probably would've dropped at least a few feet in altitude if it hadn't been for something warm grabbing my arm and almost whipping me over onto a small mesa and dropping me onto it.

I barely managed to land on my feet. Incredibly disoriented, I stood there, swaying a little bit and holding a hand to my temple, barely managing to hold onto my oversoul.

"You all right, Catori-chan?"

My eyes widened, and I twisted around to see Hao standing just a few feet away. The Asakura had his head tipped to the side slightly, a look of almost genuine worry on his face.

I bristled, somehow not feeling scared of him. _**'I'm not in the mood, Hao. And don't call me that.' **_

Hao frowned in confusion but only complied to half of what I wanted. "Why are you like this, Tori-chan?" he asked quietly.

'_**Be quiet!' **_I mentally yelled at him, shaking.

"You never had feelings before," Hao continued, as if I hadn't interrupted him. "Why now?"

'_**What the hell does it matter to you?' **_I asked.

Hao shrugged slightly. "I'm curious. And I want to make sure nothing happens to you. You're almost as vital as Yoh is to my plan."

'_**Yoh will defeat you,' **_I mentally blurted. _**'You won't win. You never have, you never will. You're not a bad person, Hao, but you cannot kill humans.'**_

"The ends justify the means, don't they?" Hao asked softly, his poncho billowing slightly in the wind. "Besides, you shouldn't be talking. You have no say in the matter; that's why the Great Spirit took away your ability to speak aloud.

"Tori-chan," Hao continued, incredibly puzzled but serious at the same time. "You should be honored that you even exist. What happened to being unbiased? You were supposed to be seen, not heard, and then you were supposed to do your duty and wait till the next Shaman Fight."

I flinched.

Hao came a step closer. "Tori, why do you have feelings?"

'…_**I don't know,' **_I answered quietly, feeling as if there were a whirlwind inside me trying to break out.

Hao stared evenly at me. "Are you sure?"

"_**I don't know!"**_At this, I screamed aloud as well as mentally and fell to my knees, pressing my hands into the stony ground. Nix stayed silent in my head, knowing that I needed the room to organize all of this, if I could.

I felt so wretched inside. Guilt at lying to Yoh and the others bubbled in my stomach, and all the confusion and stress came crashing down at once. It was an overload.

()()()()()()()()()

I wasn't sure if I blacked out or what, but the next thing I knew, I was staring up into the face of Silva.

I sat up quickly, then clutched at my head when I felt woozy. Though my head was throbbing, it felt clearer than it had before, though I knew the feelings of guilt and confusion were just lying in wait.

"Tori-san."

Startled at the sudden use of the honorific, I looked up at Silva. His face was hard and serious, though his eyes showed concern. From his shoulder, Nix floated down to me in his spirit ball form and then perched on my shoulder.

'_**Silva? Where are we?' **_I asked.

"Asakura Mikihisa found you and sent me a message," Silva answered, ignoring my question completely. "Which is a good thing, since Golva-sama wanted me to find you anyway. Have you checked your Oracle Bell?"

I blinked in confusion (where was Hao? Not that I missed him), then tapped on my Oracle Bell. Sure enough, the message icon was shining. I accessed the message and read it, then sharply looked up at Silva.

'_**Is it the Great Spirit's wish?'**_

"Actually," Silva said, looking like my question was what he was afraid I'd ask. "It's… not a direct order. But-"

'_**No.'**_

Silva looked almost pained, but mostly stern. "Hear me out, Tori. If something happens to you, the entire world could be at stake. Just go back to the village and wait till the Shaman King is crowned, okay?"

'_**I'm not going. Not yet.'**_

Silva sighed. "I knew you wouldn't. But Goldva-sama ordered it - and you know how he is; he thinks that the Great Spirit's will is the one to follow. Although," he went on, "the Great Spirit's order was that we watch over y-"

I stood up. _**'The only one who controls me is the King of Spirits. Not Goldva, not you, not anyone. Just the King of Spirits. My debt is to it, not you. I am not going to leave Yoh and the others.'**_

With that, I took Nix and oversouled him, flapping my wings to attain altitude. Silva grumbled and I knew he was coming after me. I ignored him as I rose into the air, reaching out with my senses to find Yoh and the others. It was just then that I noticed that the sun was setting in the sky.

"They're not in that direction!" Silva called out in frustrated loss.

I stopped in midair and waited for Silva to catch up. When he did, he explained that Yoh and the others had helped Milly track down the guy who'd stolen her Oracle Bell, and that Silva had given her a new one (hers was broken in the process) and that he'd 'taken care of' the guy who'd stolen it. The Lily Five and the others had gone about a mile away to another road, at least that's what Silva said.

'_**Thanks,' **_I replied as I righted myself to head the other way.

"I know I can't stop you," Silva began as I started to flap away. "But be careful."

I smiled slightly even though I wasn't facing him. _**'You too, Silva-chan.'**_

()()()()()()()

"Oi! Tori!" Yoh called.

I smiled as I swooped down to land in the bed of Billy's moving truck (I had to hold onto the bars he had on the back so that I wouldn't fall over), then gratefully let go of my oversoul and sat down in the upper right corner of the truck bed. Ren was in the lower right corner, while HoroHoro, Lyserg and Ryu were on the other side, and Yoh was on the roof of the truck.

"Where were you all day?" Yoh asked pleasantly.

I thought of Hao and signed, _'Flying around.'_

I'm pretty sure that they had all come up with their own reason why I'd stalked off (probably PMS or something, not that that wasn't a good, believable cover), and they only gave me smiles of varying degrees before they went back to their conversation. Well, all but Ren; I glanced at him to see that he was staring at me, again with that unreadable expression. I blinked rapidly, and looked down, deciding to pay attention to the others.

"But that was a super high cliff," Ryu was saying.

"America sure is big," Yoh mused.

"Hey Ren," HoroHoro asked, and I could hear something in his voice that suggested he was up to something. "What kind of cliffs are there in your country?"

"There are thirty-three cliffs in my country where if you fall, you will never reach the bottom," Ren answered immediately.

"That's my Bocchama!" Bason and HoroHoro chorused, the Ainu's tone mocking. "Amazing!"

I laughed, pushing Hao's questions out of my thoughts. I needed to relax.


	31. The Holy Spirits

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Shaman King, I only own my OCs. **

_This is one of my faveorite episodes. Doesn't matter if it's really just a filler episodes, you can never have enough of those for Shaman King (64 is too little for such an epic anime - all the more reason for me to read the manga faster). It's also that time of the month again (hehe...), time for a double-update! And what a time for a double-update: I have midterms next week, which means that I will only write if I want to be either a) suicidal for my grades (I'm going to panic and cram-study myself to death, just wait) or b) try to incorporate my learnings into a sort of oneshot... which might actually work, now that I think about it... Manta can teach me science, and Ren can teach me math (well, Manta can do that too, but... XD), Anna can get me a spirit that used to live in Pompeii for my Latin... XD_

_Oh, kinda funny-ish story. For Art, we had to make bowls, and the girl at my table always STEALS my yin-yang idea (okay, so she doesn't really steal it, but it still kinda makes me mad XD), so I decided that, what the hey, I'll put HoroHoro's headband symbol on my bowl. BIG MISTAKE: geometric stuff doesn't go well on curved surfaces. 'Nuff said. (hehe... she won't be in art next semester... I can draw yin-yang all I want...)_

_Anywayyyy, here we go :D Enjoy!_

**Thirty-One: The Holy Spirits**

"Hey…" HoroHoro began as we sat on the side of the road in the middle of an endless pine forest. "How long has it been?"

I peeked open one eye from where I sat against a tree.

"Almost two hours," Lyserg answered.

"It's been that long?" HoroHoro screeched. "Hey Ryu, why don't you just give up? He can't always show up whenever we need him."

It had been a couple of days since we (er, 'the guys' would be a better word choice) had left the Lily Five. We had been walking through the forest all day until we came to the road, where Ryu had decided to use his Big Thumb oversoul to call Billy for a lift. Since the last two hours had begun, I had had a half-an-hour nap, as well as half-an-hour of flying to scout for Billy (obviously I had come up fruitless). The last hour, I'd just been sitting with my back against a tree, pushing away any troubling thoughts and just enjoying the time where we had nowhere to go and nothing to do. I also absent-mindedly tracked the holy spirits I sensed in the area, smiling slightly at the thought of the little balls of light that they were.

"Shut up!" Ryu was shaking with the effort of keeping his oversoul on for so long. "The friendship between us isn't that shallow!" He took a breath. "_Right, Billy?_" he yelled.

Yoh yawned widely. "Hey, Ryu. You should rest; you've been using your furyoku for a while."

"I'm sorry, master," Ryu apologized, still shaking. "But I'm still going to wait for him. He'll show up, I know he will!"

I closed my eye again, letting out a small sigh that had nothing to do with sadness. I was content here, with them; even Ren, even Ryu. Sitting here forever would be perfect.

"Isn't he out of furyoku?" I heard HoroHoro whisper a little while later. I opened both eyes this time to see Ryu holding up his now-simple wooden sword, his shoulders slumped.

"Billy…"

()()()()()()()()()

After that failure, we decided to keep walking until it was too dark to see anymore. By now, twilight was gathering, and the road we walked on was completely empty, shadowed by the tall pines. I walked just ahead of HoroHoro and Ryu; Yoh was a little ways to my right, Lyserg farther back and to my left, and Ren was just ahead of me to my right.

"What's going on, Ryu?" HoroHoro asked, his voice a little whiny as he explained, "Sometimes he comes, other times he doesn't. We can't depend on him at all."

"Don't say anything bad about Billy," Ryu retorted tiredly. "I'm sure there's a reason why he couldn't make it."

"A reason, eh?" HoroHoro mused.

"Well, then," Yoh said, slowing to a stop, the rest of us following suit. "There doesn't seem to be a town around here… Guess we're camping tonight."

Ren huffed, and I knew he was smirking as he lifted his head towards the sky. "Sleeping under the stars… I like it."

I stared at Ren for a moment. For such a simple sentence, it captivated me for some reason. _Stars_… I looked up at them. They really were pretty out here, weren't they?

"The stars will show us the way," HoroHoro noted, and I heard the smile in his voice.

"Yeah," Ren agreed - something that never happened between him and the Ainu.

There was a sigh somewhere behind me, and I heard Ryu ask, "What's wrong, Lyserg? You don't seem too happy."

"You guys are easygoing as always," Lyserg said as I turned around to look at him.

"Oh, I see," Ryu replied, walking up to the English boy. "Well, that's what's good about this group."

Lyserg made a sound of confusion, but just at that moment, a light appeared. I blinked, realizing that a car was coming toward us. The driver honked the horn in a friendly manner, but I couldn't pick up any human auras coming from it. Just… holy spirits.

"Billy?" Ryu ran up to the car (that was certainly not Billy's truck) and stuck his face in the window. "Bil- uh?"

"What are you all doing out here?" I just barely heard.

"What's going on?" Yoh asked confusedly, probably dazed by the headlights.

()()()()()()()()()

"I see, I see," the man/holy spirit laughed as he drove. Ryu, Yoh, and Lyserg were in the backseat, but the seats in the middle of the car were only made for two people. Ren had stubbornly stayed silent in his seat with his arms crossed, so HoroHoro dumped his snowboard in the middle of the two chairs so that I and the Ainu could sit in the same seat, which was incredibly uncomfortable and squished. However, I think HoroHoro was happier about us being pressed side-by-side than he let on.

"It's hard to get a ride around here, since we're so far out in the countryside," the woman/holy spirit agreed. Both she and her 'presumed' husband looked to be in their sixties or so, and had kind, gentle faces, and their auras didn't radiate any ill will; rarely would holy spirits be 'evil,' anyways.

"Countryside, countryside," the man laughed. "You rarely see any cars."

"Well," Ryu said from the backseat, "whatever the situation is, you really saved us."

"It's okay, it's okay," the woman assured, turning around to face us. "Please don't worry about it. It's natural to be generous to travelers. It's been a while since we welcomed guests; we're happy as well. Right, Ross?" she asked.

Ross, the man/holy spirit, laughed.

"What a great bunch of people!" Ryu cried. "Meeting people is the true reason for traveling. I, Bokotou no Ryu, will never forget this kindness!"

At that moment, the woman's form faltered slightly, and I heard HoroHoro make a small sound of confusion, and I looked to see that his eyes were narrowed tiredly; he probably thought it was trick of the light or something.

I had to smile a little at the Ainu's expression, and I shifted slightly to get more comfortable in the chair without having to hang off the edge or lean on HoroHoro. It was just then that I saw Ren's eye gleam in the darkness. Surprised, I blinked, but when I opened my eyes, he was looking out the window.

"We're here," the woman announced.

I turned and peered around HoroHoro's head at the old-timey buildings outside as Ross brought the car toward their home. The town had a sort of rustic feel to it, as well as something that was clearing missing; signs of humans.

"It used to be a mining town," the woman continued, "but ever since the mine shut down, all the young folks have left. That's why we're very happy to have you come."

()()()()()()()()()

"Thanks for the meal!" the boys chorused after dinner; I smiled and bowed my head to the woman. I was sitting next to Yoh; on his other side was Ren, who was on his fifth carton of milk, and then Lyserg sat at the corner of the table.

HoroHoro patted his overlarge stomach, sighing in contentment at the other side of the table. "I sure ate a lot."

"Hey you!" Ryu chastised from where he sat next to him. "You're making yourself too comfortable!" He turned to the couple, who were sitting adjacent to me. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "No one taught him any manners."

HoroHoro sat up. "What the hell did you say? Are you making fun of my parents?"

"If you don't want me to, act more mature!" Ryu shot back, coming face to face with the Ainu.

"It's okay," the woman assured (I wished I had caught her name). "Please, make yourselves at home. Let's all enjoy ourselves. If you want, you can stay here for a while."

A real bed… That would be nice.

"That's a good idea," Ross agreed with his 'wife' as he lit a cigar. "Don't be shy; stay as long as you like."

"No," Lyserg responded. "We need to hurry, so…" He took a sip of his drink.

I turned to stare at him. Why turn down the offer for a real bed and food? If we all went by Lyserg's expectations, we'd already be at Patch Village, and I'd have no time to enjoy anything before… I bit my tongue slightly, stopping the thought before I finished it.

"He's so straightforward…" Ross noted disappointedly. Both he and his wife sighed.

"Why won't you say?" the woman asked. "Isn't it okay to stay for at least a couple of days?"

"Or is it boring to keep old people company?" Ross asked sadly but directly.

Lyserg seemed nervous. "N-no," he amended; "it's not that, but-" He broke off at looked at HoroHoro, who had been staring at him like he was crazy. Lyserg turned back to the couple. "I'm sorry. If I made you feel bad, I apologize, but we really are in a hurry."

"…Is that so?" the woman sighed.

Ross put out his cigar and stood up, walking towards the door. "Well then, guess we'll go to sleep now."

The woman got up as well. "You're right." She turned to us. "Your rooms are ready. Young lady," she said kindly, addressing me, "your room is upstairs at the end of the hallway. Please, all of you get some rest," she finished, walking out of the room.

"Good night," Ross wished as his wife closed the door behind them.

There was a slight moment of silence until HoroHoro noted, "They looked sad."

"Yeah," Yoh agreed softly.

()()()()()()()()()

I wasn't sleepy, and neither were the guys (well, at least everyone but Yoh, who could probably sleep for a week straight if someone let him), so I sat to the side of the furnace in the boys' room, enjoying the heat.

"Good thing those people were nice," Yoh commented from where he relaxed in a rocking chair.

"Yeah!" HoroHoro agreed, grabbing a couple logs to stroke the fire with. "There's still hope in this world. I feel like I really want to stay here for a couple days." He stood up, and when he noticed Lyserg's look, he added, "Baka. I was just joking. Don't take it too seriously."

The Ainu knelt down in front of the furnace and opened it; immediately, a burst of fire shot out, blackening him. Startled, I sat up straighter as Kororo appeared in a panic and blew ice onto her shaman, freezing him solid.

Yoh chuckled. "What are you doing, HoroHoro?"

As if karma was feeling really active, Yoh's chair rocked back and forth violently, bucking Yoh off, causing him to do a face-plant.

As Amidamaru hurried to check on his master (who was perfectly all right), I realized that the holy spirits must be messing with us.

By now, HoroHoro had defrosted. He turned to me. "Did you do that?" he asked harshly.

I shook my head, but HoroHoro didn't look convinced. He looked like he was about to say something else when there was a sudden knock at the door, bringing all of our attentions to it.

Ren was leaning by the door nonchalantly with his eyes closed. Calmly (though his expression seemed to be slightly annoyed), he unfolded his arms and opened the door. Immediately, Bason went out into the hallway to check.

The little red Chinese spirit turned around. "There's no one here- ow!" he cried when a pan suddenly fell out from nowhere and collided with him, causing him to drift to the floor like a deflated balloon.

"Baka," Ren muttered.

There was a sudden yell from the bathroom, and HoroHoro and Yoh went to check on Ryu (I certainly wasn't). Immediately, Yoh and Amidamaru were laughing.

"Why are you covered in mud in the bathroom?" HoroHoro asked, perplexed. "You better clean it all up."

Though I was curious as to the situation, I knew it was the holy spirits, and I certainly did not want to see Ryu in the bathroom, so I stayed sitting beside the fire.

"Everyone sure is carefree," Lyserg muttered after a slight moment. He looked up when there was another knock on the door, and I looked up as well as the English boy said, "I'm sure there's no one again."

Ren sighed and put a hand on the door handle, to which Lyserg continued, "I told you, there's no one there."

"You don't have to tell me," Ren replied.

"Then why?" Lyserg asked.

"Is there anything better to do?" Ren asked as he opened the door. "Bason, go."

"Bocchama…" Bason stalled, sweating.

Ren leered at him. "Go."

"…Hai," Bason agreed reluctantly, and once he was in the hall, he let out another exclamation of pain as something fell on his head.

()()()()()()()()()

"How did you know we're shamans?" Ryu asked the next morning as we sat around the table in the same spots as the night before.

_`Cause they're holy spirits, _I thought I little sleepily; the night before, the holy spirits kept turning the lamp in my room on and off, even though I'd unplugged it. Finally, I had just taken the bulb out and stuffed it under my pillow, where it had continued to glow, albeit much more softly.

"Well," Ross answered, "she has a rather strong spiritual sense. Looks like she knew the instant she saw you people."

"I see," Ryu replied.

"Well, it's not like we must keep it a secret," HoroHoro said, unknowingly contradicting my thoughts on a certain duty I had to perform.

"So," Ren began, pausing from drinking his morning milk, "what would you like to discuss with us?"

"To tell you the truth," Ross's wife explained, "there are dangerous monsters living in the remnants of the town coal mine; I want you to defeat them. Sometimes they come to town and wreak havoc. There are a lot of them, so we're kind of in trouble."

"Do they cause harm to people?" Yoh asked.

"Oh, of course!" Ross agreed. "They do a lot of things."

"A lot of things, eh?" Yoh repeated, his hands behind his head. "That's a pretty big request."

_But I'm sure you'll say yes, _I thought, not at all irritated by the fact. I'd love to dillydally all the way to Patch Village; it'd give me more time with Yoh and the others. I didn't care what Goldva or Silva or anyone said; I wanted to stay here with everyone for as long as I possibly could.

"Please," Ross's wife requested. "Help us."

"I beg of you as the town mayor," Ross put in.

"What?" HoroHoro and Ryu chorused. "You're also the town mayor?"

"Well, I am," Ross replied with a laugh.

"I would like to clear myself with this opportunity," Lyserg spoke up suddenly, sounding annoyed.

"What's the reward?"

"Yes," Lyserg said. "What's the-" He broke off and turned towards the window, where I sensed the Lily Five to be. More out of curiosity than anything, I peered past Yoh (who was peering past Ren) towards the window.

"Defeating monsters always has a reward," Sharona explained; she had been the one to ask the question about the reward. "That's the most important part."

"These guys pop up everywhere…" HoroHoro muttered.

"Milly-chan!" Ryu sang, just about standing up on his chair (at this, I put my head in my palm for a moment).

"Lyserg-sama!" Milly greeted cheerfully, ignoring Ryu completely.

"Uh…" Lyserg stammered as Ryu clutched at poor HoroHoro, crying.

As if all this was entirely normal (which, in a sad way, it was), Yoh turned to the holy spirit couple. "All right, I understand. Leave the monsters to us!"

"I see!" Ross replied in relief.

"I'm so happy," his wife exclaimed. "Now this town will be peaceful once again."

()()()()()()()()()

"Listen up," Sharona said as we walked down the straight mine tunnel. "No matter which side defeats the monster, we're going to split the reward evenly."

_Liar,_ I thought, but with no real malice.

"I don't know how much we're going to get," she continued, "but we're all risking our lives. Don't forget about that."

Heh, holy spirits would never try to kill someone.

The other members of her group started muttering to themselves, but I ignored them. Soon, we came upon a sign with an arrow pointed to the right, labeled, 'House of Monsters.' How accurate.

Soon, we came to a cavern of what appeared to be limestone. I sensed a heck of a lot of holy spirits though, and soon we found ourselves standing around.

"There probably isn't a reward or anything," Yoh explained.

"Why?" Sharona demanded confusedly.

"There isn't any reward," Ren stated, arms folded around his Kwan Dao and eyes closed. "Because even though they told us about the monsters, they don't exist."

"In other words," HoroHoro piped up, "it's all a made up story."

"You're kidding me!" Elly exclaimed.

"What kind of people are they?" Lilly muttered. "Deceiving people is what the lowest do."

"Yeah, really!" Elly agreed.

"I wouldn't be talking if I were you," HoroHoro murmured; I pretended to myself that I didn't hear that.

"Actually," Ren continued, "those two aren't humans."

I pulled my attention off of HoroHoro's comment and forcefully shifted it to Ren's. He was pretty smart to see through them. He saw through a lot of things… I shook myself mentally and decided to focus on the conversation.

"They aren't humans?" Sally repeated.

"Yeah," Yoh agreed. "The holy spirits disguised themselves as those two people."

"It seems that the holy spirits around this area like to play pranks," HoroHoro noted.

"So that's how it was…," Ryu breathed, awed.

"…You didn't notice that?" HoroHoro's face was priceless.

"Pranks…by holly spirits?" Sharona sunk to the ground, tears streaming down her face. "There goes my reward…" Lyserg spoke up from outside of the group, sounding hostile. "What I don't understand is why, even after knowing that, you guys went along with the holy spirits. We don't know where Patch Village is. We don't have time to waste, yet… I understand playing for just one night, but we don't have time to be playing here. Why?"

Okay… I could put up with Lyserg, but seriously; he needed to learn to stop and smell the roses. I understood _why _he wanted to get a move on, but because the two of us had completely different points of view, I couldn't sympathize with him. At this point, I'd really enjoy it if he stayed quiet about this for just a day.

Yoh thought for a moment, then smiled. "Because it looked fun. Besides… they seemed to be bored. And thanks to them, we were able to see this amazing sight."

There was a sudden whir of sound, and I smiled when I realized that the holy spirits had come out to play.

"About time," HoroHoro said, readying his snowboard. "I was getting tired of waiting."

"I wonder what kind of monsters they are," Yoh said with a smile, clutching Harusame.

"They're coming!" Bason exclaimed.

Numerous ape-shaped holy spirits jumped out of the water, and in an instant, the limestone cavern had disappeared. The spirits jumped at us, and we all oversouled quickly (minus the Lily Five and Lyserg).

"There really are a lot of them," Ryu noted once the dust from the feint had settled, revealing too many spirits to count, clutching clods of mud.

HoroHoro chuckled in excitement. "Now it's starting to get interesting."

"…What is that?" Yoh asked, noticing what the spirits were holding; in the next second, we were all dodging mud.

I laughed when one spirit managed to get me in the side of the head with mud. Many more mud balls followed after that, but I managed to strike the spirit attacking me; the spirit shrunk to a little ball of light and floated away from the log it had possessed.

There were lots of laughs and flying mud, but the highlight had to have been Ren getting hit square in the face with mud. He was stunned with anger, and on impulse I took the opportunity and scooped up mud in both hands and dumped it on his hair, going so far as to rub it in and screw up his tongari. Still blinded by the hit to the face, Ren swung around, and I had to duck under his Kwan Dao; all the while, I was laughing my head off. My throat was going to kill me if Ren didn't, but it was worth it.

()()()()()()()()

"Thank you, shamans!" one of the pixie-like holy spirits said once we were back outside the mine and in front of the entrance. "It's been a few hundred years since we've had this much fun! We rarely see shamans nowadays."

I smiled, wiping a bit of mud off of my face. That had been so much…fun - there was no other word to describe it.

"Don't worry," Yoh assured, "we had fun as well."

"Hey, you…" one of the spirits suddenly said, addressing Lyserg, whose green hair was drenched brown. "Well…um… I'm sorry for slowing you guys down."

Lyserg smiled. "Well, I guess it's okay every once in a while."

There was laughing all around, aside from Ren; but when I glanced back, he was smirking. I smiled. All of this was-

"What are you doing, Yoh?"

I whipped around a second before Hao's voice rang out. In horror, I watched as Spirit of Fire appeared and grabbed an enormous handful of spirits.

"I'm really troubled by you," Hao went on, sitting atop one of Spirit of Fire's antennas. "To me, time is infinite- right, Tori-chan?" he asked with only the slightest glance towards me.

'_**HAO!' **_I yelled at him mentally, pangs of fear and guilt and just plain everything terrible piercing my insides at the obvious taunt heard by everyone.

'_**None of them are going to live much longer anyways,' **_Hao relayed without a care in less than a second. _**'If you really want them to be in the dark, my offer is still open.'**_

"But Yoh…," he continued aloud. In the physical world, it was like he had barely paused after his last verbal words. "You don't have time to waste on these guys."

With that cue, Spirit of Fire's enclosed fist erupted into flames, burning the holy spirits within out of existence.

"Hurry up and become strong, Yoh," Hao said as Spirit of Fire sent out a heat wave, setting more holy spirits ablaze. "I want to stop going in circles."

Numbly, I stared at Hao, sensing the others oversouling. I heard Yoh command the remaining holy spirits to leave, and I heard the holy spirits argue that we should leave, but I only could comprehend what Hao said next.

"It's just like what they said," he explained as Spirit of Fire began to drift back. "Now isn't the time. You'll know eventually." His eyes only glanced at me before he turned back to Yoh, and with that, Spirit of Fire turned and took to the sky.

()()()()()()()()()

"I'm sorry," Yoh apologized.

"Don't worry about it, shamans," the holy spirit said; of the remaining few, only two had come to see us off. "We were the ones who stopped you."

"You guys know Hao?" Ren asked.

"…Yeah," the other one answered. "As the man who uses Spirit of Fire. He's… Spirit of Fire is a strong spirit, since he was born from the Great Spirit."

After that, the holy spirits wished us a safe journey (as if that would happen…), and we went back to walking on the road through the pine forest.

I felt awful inside. My stomach felt like it could never hold food again, it was churning so badly. How could Hao do that to innocent spirits…?

"_Why are you like this, Tori-chan?" _

I faltered in my steps.

"How does Hao know you?"

I stopped dead at Lyserg's voice behind me. Ahead, Yoh and the others stopped as well, turning around in confusion. Ren's eyes gleamed in the growing darkness, and a cold feeling a dread spread through me.

"What makes you so important to point out?" Lyserg continued. "He _knows _you; I can tell. Why?"

Trembling slightly, I forced myself to unite with Nix in order to speak. After that, though, I didn't move.

"Are you on Hao's side?" Lyserg asked harshly.

There was a loud _smack, _and it took me a moment to realize that I was looking at a red mark on Lyserg's cheek.

"Don't belittle me like that," I snarled, my surge of feelings overriding Nix's filtering. I was shaking.

Any trace of anger that might have been in Lyserg's eyes before was gone; instead, the green orbs were wide.

"I…I'm sorry," he apologized, and I could tell he meant it.

I relaxed, though I was still shivering as the adrenaline drained, leaving me feeling exhausted. "No… I am."


	32. Allen

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. Sadly for me, but probably good for you, I'd have screwed it up.**

_Oh, this dude. I'm very glad we only see him once, he kinda annoyed me. But in any case, we have more filler action, but also a bit of plot, as always *evil grin* _

_I can't think of too much to say, although I have no clue when the next update will be, I have absolutely no time to write or update (I must force myself not to, anyway), because I have midterms *shudders* And on Friday I'm going to spend the night at my friend's for her birfday, so no updating then. Perhaps on the Saturday after I will, but I can't promise. Hopefully, this double update will satisfy you until then :D_

_Enjoy! *grins and laughs wickedly and runs around madly*_

**Thirty-Two: Allen**

After slapping Lyserg, I stayed mostly silent in more ways than one. Yoh, HoroHoro, and even Ryu tried to act like it had never happened. Lyserg didn't look at me like I was Hao's follower, but he didn't speak to me at all, either. And Ren; Ren just stared at me. He didn't even try to hide the fact that he was still at least unsure about me. The days of Ren's murderous glares were long gone, but still, catching him staring at me sent a chill through every part of my body.

I felt guilty about slapping Lyserg, but he had deserved it at the time. I had to admit, there was a possibility that I would have to help Hao, but only if he became the Shaman King. Other than that, I never even wanted to think of that infuriating, horrible pyromaniac. I felt that things were starting to spiral down around me; the thought of everyone discovering my lies made me feel panicked.

Deciding that I had to pull myself out of this slump, I focused my attention to the now. We were back in the wasteland desert, sitting on the side of the road and waiting for Billy to come to Ryu's Big Thumb oversoul. However…

"Will you stop that?" Ren grunted angrily without looking at Ryu's statue-still form on the desert road.

"Isn't that a waste of time?" Lyserg put in, more nicely than usual when talking about 'wasting time.'

"_Oversoul! Big Thumb!" _Ryu declared with a flash of furyoku. It was…impressive, but no Billy. I turned my head to the sky.

"Give it up, Ryu," I heard Tokagero say.

"_Billy_!" Ryu yelled in despair.

Lyserg sighed. "It's been three days…"

"Since we've seen any people," Ren finished grumpily. "Kisama!" he called, probably addressing Ryu (though, really, it could've been any one of us). "Didn't you say that we could leave everything to you?"

"_Why_?" Ryu howled.

"Jeez," Tokagero muttered. "My efforts were in vain as well."

"All the food that we brought is gone, too," Lyserg mumbled.

As if on cue, Yoh's stomach grumbled. "I'm hungry…" he moaned.

"Are you okay, Yoh-dono?" Amidamaru asked.

Yoh groaned in a way that probably meant 'no.' I didn't quite feel the effects of thirst yet (the heat didn't effect me like it did to everyone else), but I could've killed for something to eat. I very vaguely remembered past lives of starving to death; it wasn't a pleasant experience, to say the least.

"No eating or drinking is…really harsh," Lyserg rasped.

"You guys look pathetic!" Ren sudden declared, standing up and drawing my attention. Definitely on cue, his stomach growled, and his eyes widened as if embarrassed. This made me snicker slightly.

"Bocchama…" Bason appeared beside his master.

"Be quiet, Bason!" Ren retorted, a blush appearing on his face. "Humans can live for a week on only water and salt! I'll be fine, even without water."

Seeing this made me laugh because of Ren's stubborn-ass manner. It was just so… I'm not sure, but it just amused me.

"Why the hell are you laughing?" Ren snapped, his face still flush with anger.

Feeling better than I had in what felt like forever, I shrugged exaggeratedly, just to tick Ren off for fun.

Ren scrunched up his face and glared at me, reminding me that, just a minute before, we hadn't been speaking- er, _communicating_ to each other.

"I'm thirsty," Yoh moaned. "If only we had some water…"

There was a sudden slurp-y-crunch sound, and we all turned to see HoroHoro munching on an _icicle._

"Yeah," the Ainu managed to say around his ice. "It'll be bad if this keeps up."

Yoh surged from a sitting position to his hands and knees, crawling quickly over to HoroHoro. "Water? No- that's ice!"

HoroHoro looked surprised for a second, then turned to his spirit. "Kororo," he prompted.

The Koro Pokkuru cooed happily and then created a hunk of ice on her shaman's snowboard. HoroHoro then pulled it off and threw it; I followed its arc through the air with my eyes to where it landed in Ryu's collar and promptly melted to half its original size.

"Guess I have no choice," HoroHoro said, standing up. "I'll go find some food."

Not wanting to wait around for food, I stood as well, slinging my bag over my shoulder. _'I'll go with you,' _I offered, walking over to him.

HoroHoro smiled at me and then turned his head around. "I think there might be something beyond those mountains for food."

"Please do!" Yoh said.

"Leave it to us," HoroHoro replied. "Besides, it looks like we're the only ones capable," he added with a conspiratorial wink in my direction. With that, he nodded to me, and we took off running towards the mountains.

()()()()()()()()

There _was_, in fact, something just beyond the mountains: more forest. HoroHoro and I quietly walked through it, eyes and ears on alert for anything edible. Before long, however, the Ainu held out an arm to stop me and signaled for quiet (yeah, like _I _would suddenly yell out or something) before pointing to a deer in a clearing just beyond a clump of bushes. Quietly, I followed him as he crouched behind the bushes, getting ready to spring.

_What the heck, is he going to try to kill it with his bare hands? _I put a hand on his shoulder, and he jumped slightly before realizing it was just me. He sent me an angry glare, and I held up a finger for him to give me a moment before I oversouled Nix into, not wings, but a bow and arrow. HoroHoro's eyes widened before he nodded approvingly.

I stood and took careful aim, even though Nix would do all the real work of slaying the deer. Just as I let go of the arrow, however, the deer suddenly bolted, and I focused on Nix to give his arrow form an extra burst of speed - but then, a voice rang out, shattering my concentration and my oversoul.

"_Don't touch the inhabitants of nature_!"

Startled, HoroHoro jumped up, accidentally pushing me from behind (thankfully not hitting my mark) and sending me sprawling out over the bush and into the clearing. As if realizing his mistake, he hurried to my side as I scrambled to my feet, recognizing the aura of a completely foreign shaman.

I looked up, seeing the oversouled spirit of a bear standing almost as tall as the pines. On its shoulder stood a boy with long hair tied in a ponytail who wore tribal clothing that wasn't of the Patch.

"That's an oversoul!" HoroHoro exclaimed.

The boy cocked his head in interest and jumped down from the oversoul before deactivating it and drawing the spirit back into a bear-shaped stone, which must've acted like a mortuary tablet and a medium. "You know about oversouls?" he asked us. "Are you shamans?"

_Of course, _I thought, wondering how the boy could be this slow. Did he see me using Nix?

"Yeah," HoroHoro replied. "I'm HoroHoro. This is Tori," he added quickly, as if remembering that I couldn't reply for myself. "She can't speak unless her spirit does it for her."

The boy eyed me with interest. "I'm Allen," he replied. "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" HoroHoro asked. "We're on our way to Patch Village."

"Patch Village?" Allen echoed.

"Aren't you a participant in the Shaman Fight?" HoroHoro inquired in confusion.

"I rejected the offer to participate in the Shaman Fight," Allen replied bluntly.

I crossed my arms and nodded understandingly as HoroHoro cocked his head to the side. "Then why are you here?" he asked in disbelief.

"This is my home," Allen replied.

HoroHoro dropped his fist into his palm before pointing. "You're a local? But why didn't you participate?" he asked, still not quite believing what he was seeing. "Don't you want to become the Shaman King?"

"It's because I'm a shaman," Allen answered, slightly terse.

"_Huh_?" HoroHoro comically leaned forward, gaping.

()()()()()()()

Allen led us through the forest towards where he said the road was. His bear spirit walked beside him, as did Kororo for HoroHoro. The blunt presence of two spirits, albeit friendly, prompted Nix to perch on my shoulder as well.

As we walked, me somehow ending up between the two boys, I accidentally caught Allen's eye, and he blinked quickly, looking towards Nix. "Your bird is, uh, very nice," he commented.

I held back a chuckle as Nix ruffled his feathers and sent a vehement glare at Allen, who seemed to shrink just a tad and then looked to HoroHoro and changed the subject. "Your holy spirit is very lovely," he said, earning a coo of thanks from Kororo.

"You have a holy spirit of the bear?" HoroHoro asked conversationally.

Allen smiled. "He's my friend, Doddo."

The bear gave a growl-y smile which definitely amused me.

At that moment, we entered a large clearing where many different kinds of forest animals were gathered, drinking from a pond. I instantly relaxed, realizing that this was possibly the most peaceful place that I'd been at in a while. A _long _while.

"This is a nice place!" HoroHoro commented.

"This place is sacred," Allen explained. "This is a part of nature that humans must not touch. I am a shaman who protects this place and speaks on its behalf."

I gave Allen a glance. It was noble and all to live for nature, but didn't he realize that humans were a _part _of nature?

"I understand what you're saying, Allen," HoroHoro agreed. "I was like that as well. I've recently been focused on winning the Shaman Fight… It made me forget why I participated in the first place."

Allen looked past me at HoroHoro. "What do you wish for?"

I looked at HoroHoro, who had his eyes up toward the sky. "A vast field of coltsfoot." Very briefly, he explained why.

"That's nice," Allen replied genuinely.

"You understand, Allen?" HoroHoro cried, unintentionally whacking me out of the way so that he could excitedly grasp Allen's shoulders. "You _are _a nice guy!"

Irritated, I flicked HoroHoro in the head. He blushed guiltily. "Sorry, Tori." Suddenly, his stomach growled. He chuckled nervously and pointed at the animals. "Since you're such a nice guy, Allen, can I take one of those bears, deer, or rabbits over there?"

"Idiot!" Allen yelled. "Are you planning on eating an inhabitant of nature?"

"Is that a yes?" HoroHoro asked.

"No," Allen answered shortly. "There are animals that rely on them for food. They live in a cycle here. Humans must not lay their hands in this cycle."

I gave him a strange look. If animals ate each other, why couldn't humans? I, for one, _really _wanted that particular buck with antlers that seemed as big as a tree.

"Then what am I supposed to eat?" HoroHoro argued.

"Humans buy livestock in town," Allen answered, "And live off what they can cultivate."

HoroHoro sighed. "Well that's true, but…"

Allen held out a little ball of corn that he said was a dumpling. Immediately, I snatched my hand toward it (_food!_) and knocked HoroHoro's hand away before popping it into my mouth. As soon as it touched my tongue, I wanted to gag, but I forced myself to chew and swallow it.

"_Toriiiiii_," HoroHoro whined. "I was going to eat that!"

I shook my head. _'Trust me, you didn't want it,' _I signed before making a gagging motion.

"I'll show you a path that will lead you to town," Allen offered. "Come with me."

"Hai," HoroHoro sighed as we followed him.

()()()()()()()()

"There, that's the road." Allen pointed through the trees toward a black strip down below us. "If you follow it, you'll reach town."

"I got it," HoroHoro replied. "By the way… Can I eat them?" he asked, pointing towards a pair of birds on a branch above us.

"Go to town and eat something there!" Allen snapped.

"Can't eat that as well?" HoroHoro sighed.

"Why, HoroHoro?" Allen asked. "Humans should not lay their hands on nature. You should understand this."

HoroHoro smiled. "I understand, Allen. But humans and nature are one. There's a way for both to coexist."

_Finally, _I thought. _Someone who can talk some more sense into this guy. _For a moment, I just found it ironic for HoroHoro to be teaching something. I could only imagine what Ren would say in this situation.

"HoroHoro," Allen said dangerously. "Isn't that a little too much trust in humankind?"

Ugh, now he was starting to sound like Hao. When Allen wasn't talking about preserving nature (that is to say, rarely), he was nice. But now he was just annoying.

"In order for humans and nature to coexist, they must stay distanced," Allen went on.

At lest he wasn't going on about how humans should all die.

At that moment, there was a distant rumble, and we looked down the slope to see several trucks and construction machines traversing the road. Immediately, I understood what was about to happen.

"They're back for another lesson," Allen growled.

This immediately caught my attention (when I said 'understand,' I didn't mean I understood what Allen meant), and I turned toward Allen as HoroHoro asked, "Who are they?"

"They are destroyers of nature!" Allen spat. He rushed through the trees, and even though I would rather we just keep going on our way, HoroHoro hurried after him. I sighed and chased after them.

"They're trying to clear a path to the sacred forest," Allen explained when I caught up to them at the edge of a dirt-brown clearing dotted with tree cutters (if the machines had a technical term, I didn't know it).

"Probably because it's such a nice place…," HoroHoro replied.

"They say that they're building hotels and resorts, but all they're doing is destroying nature," Allen said. He held up his bear stone. "Let's go, Doddo!"

Horrified, I watched as he oversouled the spirit into a giant bear which he rode upon over to the nearest machine, which Doddo knocked over. More machines drove over to see what was going on (_stupid people!_), but Allen had Doddo attack them as well. Even when most of them started to drive away, Allen had Doddo rush toward them.

Without thinking, I oversouled Nix into wings and rushed to intercept the attack, which HoroHoro had done as well. As we pushed against Doddo's paw with our oversouls, I opened my mouth to chew Allen out, but HoroHoro beat me to the punch.

"Stop it, Allen," he warned. I tried to remember a time when I had seen HoroHoro this angry and stern before, but I couldn't. "I don't want to see nature hurt, but humans shouldn't be hurt either."

Allen's eyes were wild, but after a moment he calmed enough to let go of oversoul. HoroHoro did as well, but I didn't.

"I'm not challenging them because I want to," Allen explained. "At first, I scared them using my spirit. It caused a small accident. But it was no use - humans no longer believe in spirits and ghosts."

HoroHoro nodded. "Humans don't fear spirits or nature anymore."

"That's why I stopped them with force today," Allen went on. "As the duty of a shaman who protects nature from humans."

"It still doesn't give you the right to attack them," I pointed out, voice raspy. It was getting easier and easier to force Nix to speak for me, but speaking never stopped hurting.

Allen and HoroHoro looked at me, surprised, but I went on. "I understand that you feel there's no other way to protect the forest, but it's not right."

After a moment, HoroHoro sighed. "If only they would learn their lesson from this…"

There was a loud honking noise, and Allen looked at the ground, eyes shadowed. "Looks like they haven't had enough."

He hurried off towards the sound, HoroHoro following right behind. I stood there for a moment, incredibly ticked off, before taking off into the air and following them.

By the time we got to the road, I had caught up with them where they crouched behind some bushes, watching more trucks rush up the road.

"I'll have to do better to make them learn," Allen growled as I alighted down next to them.

"Allen, stop it," HoroHoro warned.

"Is there an alternative?" Allen shot back before oversouling Doddo into a giant bear again. Instantly, I rushed in front of him, as did HoroHoro after he oversouled Kororo into his snowboard.

"Don't get in my way!" Allen shouted down at us, eyes narrowed.

"I don't want to," HoroHoro explained (I had to agree with him, but on another hand Allen was _really _getting on my nerves).

"Yeah, you don't want to, HoroHoro!" Allen retorted sarcastically. Instead of trying to attack or go through us, he had Doddo start moving to the left.

"Allen!" HoroHoro yelled. _"Mososo Kuruppe!"_

In response, Doddo swung a clawed paw and sliced the icicles that HoroHoro had sent at him, continuing the attack straight towards the Ainu.

"HoroHoro!" In the blink of an eye, I flew in front of the attack and took the brunt of it, which sent me barreling into HoroHoro and then skidding onto the ground past the road. Grunting, I rose to my hands and knees, thankful that my mark hadn't been hit by the attack. However, there was blood running down my arm.

"Tori!"

"Stop him, HoroHoro!" I called back, struggling to my feet and clutching my arm to focus my furyoku into partially healing it.

When that was done, I took to the air, realizing that I had lost them. It didn't take long to find Allen, though. My eyes widened in horror when I saw Doddo accidentally push one of the tucks off the side of the cliff, where it fell to the forest below and exploded, setting the forest ablaze.

_You idiot! _I wanted to scream as I swooped down and surveyed the blaze not far from where Allen and HoroHoro looked down upon the unfolding terror. I could control fire with Nix, but not like Hao; I couldn't control something this big.

A flock of quail took the air to get away from the fire, and I had to swerve to avoid them. Allen and Doddo were attempting to beat out the flames now, and HoroHoro his ice attacks, but it was all to no avail. Normally, my senses couldn't pick up feelings very well without concentration, but all the terror from the animals was like an intense pressure in my head, which certainly didn't help at all. Almost overloaded, I alighted down beside Allen and HoroHoro, who were standing together now.

"At this rate…," Allen breathed. "The sacred forest will be burned to the ground."

"At this rate, everything will be burned," HoroHoro amended, staring at the fire. "But if you want to save the sacred forest, there is a way."

"What should I do?" Allen asked, eager to save the forest.

HoroHoro pointed. "If you blow away the patch of forest over there, the fire will probably stop."

"Blow away the forest?" Allen echoed.

HoroHoro looked at him. "You should be able to do it with your furyoku."

"Are you telling me to destroy nature with my own hands?"

I held my tongue. _You seem fine enough with destroying people._

"_You never had feelings before. Why now?"_

I flinched at the sudden memory, but the boys didn't notice. _Damn Hao…_

"Everything will be burned to the ground otherwise," HoroHoro said to Allen, bringing me back to the present.

Allen looked at the burning forest for a long moment before squeezing his eyes shut. "I can't do it. I can't do such a-"

"Then I'll do it, Allen," HoroHoro said decisively.

"I'll help," I offered as well.

"HoroHoro… Tori…," Allen breathed.

HoroHoro held up a carved wooden figure that I instantly recognized. "This ikupasui is used to give our thanks to God," the Ainu explained before he oversouled Kororo into it, creating an oversoul which was incredibly mesmerizing and hard to describe.

"_Neike Fuike Kiroro!" _The ikupasui shifted to resemble a scimitar as HoroHoro slashed out, causing a wave a snow to topple a good number of non-burning trees and to douse a bit of the fire.

I blinked, letting go of oversoul as I realized that I hadn't been needed at all. The smoke cleared, revealing a wasteland of charred wood and earth.

"Trees and lives of the forest, I thank you for your lives," I heard HoroHoro murmur, holding up the ikupasui to his face. "I will not let them go to waste."

()()()()()()()

It had definitely been an experience, and while the entire burning forest thing was something that I wouldn't really want to repeat, this little side-trip with HoroHoro was actually pretty cool. Allen had let us eat the animals that hadn't made it (after they were cleaned and prayed over), and we bought some food to take back to Yoh and the others. We hadn't had any conversations that really meant anything (half the time they didn't know what I was signing, but HoroHoro was improving), but HoroHoro was definitely enjoyable to be around. Even Allen… a little bit.

After the two of us left Allen, we walked back across the desert towards the others. The Ainu looked sideways at me. "Hey, uh… Thanks."

Confused, I tipped my head at him. He knew me well enough by now to know that I was asking what he meant.

His cheeks reddened slightly. "Back there, when Allen attacked me." His brow suddenly furrowed a little bit when he caught sight of my arm, which I had washed the blood off of. He shrugged. "It looked a lot worse back there, but still, thanks."

A little warning signal went off inside me that HoroHoro was _sort of _suspicious of my 'miraculous heal,' but thankfully he was blaming it on the confusion of battle. Still maintaining my semblance of normalcy, I shrugged. _'No big deal.'_

HoroHoro shook his head once he realized what I meant. "_Yes, _big deal. You didn't have to do that." His eyes took on a soft tone. "Seriously, thanks."

I felt my face heat, and I looked away. Very oddly, thinking about how I had took the attack for HoroHoro reminded me of back when I had first really 'met' Ren and had 'saved' him from being hit by that truck.

Soon, we were back where we had left the others; they were all just about sprawled out on the ground.

Yoh looked over when HoroHoro's shadow fell over him. "How'd it go?"

"Kisama, you two are too slow," Ren chastised from where he lay on the ground, turning his head to look at us so that he appeared to be upside-down. He actually looked amusing with his tongari squished to the side a bit.

"Hey, don't say that," HoroHoro retorted calmly. He chuckled and presented the still-steaming, giant hunk of meat on a stick that we had brought back.

Ryu suddenly seemed to rise from the dead. "That smell…" He turned around, and I saw his eyes gleam red, and I rushed to the side just an instant before he yelled "Meat!" and latched onto the food with his teeth.

With a split-second flash, the meat had been cut into four equal slices by Ren (one still having Ryu attached to it). Within seconds, those two, plus Yoh and Lyserg, were stuffing themselves while HoroHoro and I sat and watched.

Yoh paused from his eating. "Aren't you guys going to eat any?"

HoroHoro shrugged. "We already ate."

Incredibly soon, the four once-starved boys were lying on the ground, their bellies large after the meal.

"I sure ate a lot," Yoh sighed.

"That was well done, you two," Ren complimented. (I had to do a double-take for this, but there didn't _seem _to be any malice behind his words….)

"I'm stuffed," Ryu added.

"Oh, is that so?" HoroHoro asked, standing up in front of them with his arms crossed; I joined him, sharing his basic demeanor. "Now then," he continued, grinning. "What you guys ate was a blessing brought to you by God. Now it's time for you guys to give back to nature."

Yoh sat up. "Give back?"

()()()()()()()

"_Golden Chuuka Zanmai!" _Ren cried as he sliced up the excess logs. Once they had all fell back to the ground, he looked up importantly. I chuckled as I went by with an armload of sticks, and his face flushed slightly with anger as he glared at me.

I let the boys plant the new trees and 'supervised' along with HoroHoro and Allen, who were talking.

"Humans give back to nature again," HoroHoro said. "Is this kind of relationship bad, Allen?"

Allen didn't respond.

"There's a delicious one!" Ryu suddenly yelled, jumping to his feet and looking at a wild boar.

"Stop it!" Allen commanded, halting Ryu in his tracks. "Until it becomes a rich forest again…Don't touch it until then!"

Ryu scratched the back of his head and chuckled as the boar trotted away.

"Well then… We should start working as well," HoroHoro suggested.

Allen nodded, but before he followed HoroHoro out onto the field, he turned to me, causing me to blink in surprise.

"I apologize," he said, looking me straight in the eyes with a sincere look. "You were right; I shouldn't have attacked them." His eyes flickered to the slight scar on my arm. "I'm sorry."

His tone didn't…unnerve me, per se, but it was a bit too…intimate, maybe?

Allen scratched the back of his head. "You know, you can probably spare staying a couple more days here, if you want… And after the Shaman Fight, you can visit again, maybe?"

Understanding made my face flush, and I shook my head, too quickly to be polite, and Allen flushed as well and looked down.

"S-sorry," he stammered, and hurried away to help with the planting, leaving me to stand there awkwardly. Purely by accident, I caught Yoh's eyes, which were filled with a humorous knowing, and I shifted my eyes away immediately and went to get more saplings.

Embarrassed. Just what I wanted to be.


	33. Ashiru & Our Favorite Executioners

**DISCLAIMER: Do you think that, when Hiroyuki Takei made Shaman King, that his characters would gain a loyal following of fangirls? *stalks Ren***

_I could have done better on this chapter, but it's all just one long fight scene o.o I hate the X-Laws. Which is slightly weird in retrospect since I fall under the umbrella of Christianity (I'm not majorly religious, though it's weird that my favorite anime - _this -_ is really ABOUT religion). I hope you all are happy that I'M the one enduring the X-Law theme of "AHHHH-AHHHH-AHHHH!" while you guys get to just read. XD_

_It's a snow day, which makes me happy, double-happy that today was supposed to be my last midterms and I get more time to "study," triple-happy that I know know where I can buy Shaman King manga (an hour away from where I live, but what can I say, life ain't fair), quadruple-happy because I just started watching Romeo X Juliet after reading the play in English, pentagonal-happy (?) that my weekend is now not just 3 days but 4, and hexagonal-happy that I can give you all something to read :D_

_The only thing that I don't like is that this chapter, which is 33, is not all about Ren. Poor Ren, your favorite number has been wasted on the X-Laws. Frickin' Jeanne and Marco... (okay, so just Marco, but I know what Jeanne does at the end of the manga, even if I haven't read it yet. GRRRR)._

_Sorry for going on and on, here's the chapter!_

**Thirty-Three: Ashiru**

"Damn!" HoroHoro swore. "It's not coming!"

I was slightly amused as I sat in the sun. Currently, we were at a bus stop in the _middle of nowhere_. Like, the middle of nowhere where all the tumbleweeds… tumble. Of course there wasn't going to be a bus. However, I was more relaxed about this situation because I was much more suited to the heat than everyone else. Not to mention that just about everyone else had more patience than HoroHoro most of the time.

He looked up and down an imaginary road. "We've been waiting here for two hours! Shouldn't it-"

"Oi, HoroHoro," Ren grunted.

"What?" HoroHoro snapped, turning around.

"Let me ask you something," Ren demanded sternly, holding his Kwan Dao up against the ground. "Why is there a bus stop in a place like this?"

"_You're _the one who found it first!" HoroHoro screeched savagely into Ren's certainly not amused face.

"I only said that it was a good place to rest," Ren argued. "I never said anything about waiting for a bus."

"There they go again," Ryu sighed as Ren and HoroHoro continued to argue. I watched the two banter, but tuned out their words in favor of something more… reasonable. I did find their quarrels very amusing, though - most of the time.

"Seriously," Yoh agreed with Ryu. "They never get tired of arguing with each other."

"Want me to call Billy, master?" Ryu asked, all too eager. "He's definitely faster than a bus."

"It'll be bad for Billy if we call him too much," Yoh evaded.

"That's it!" HoroHoro snapped. "Step outside!"

"Aren't we already outside?"

"Damn it! You're pissing me off!"

I smiled, but it didn't last long; the next moment, my senses clicked, and I was on my feet in an instant.

"Tori?" Yoh began in confusion, but in that same moment, Lyserg yelled at HoroHoro and Ren to shut up, effectively bringing the boys' attention to the dowser.

"What's wrong, Lyserg?" Ryu asked.

"Something is coming," Lyserg hissed.

Suddenly, the ground shook as a giant black oversoul with a sort of mirror in its middle appeared with a shaman riding atop it. The boy's brown hair was thin and cut cleanly, and he wore a gold-trimmed dark suit with a ruffled undershirt. His eyes were harsh.

"That thing's huge!" Ryu exclaimed.

"Who are you?" Yoh called as I instinctively oversouled Nix into wings.

"I'm Ashiru," the boy replied, "Hao-sama's number one subordinate." He smiled. "I've come to play with you all."

"_Hao_?" Lyserg hissed.

"Don't be so impatient," Ashiru called. "I'll play with you as much as you want later. But first, you! Asakura Yoh! Hao-sama is sad. He says that you're too slow and will always be weak."

Yoh sounded doubtful. "He says that, but…"

"He seems to be very interested in you and the girl," Ashiru went on, eyes flickering to me but also talking like I wasn't really there. "I don't understand why, though."

Another indescribable pang of panic seemed to hit me in the chest, but on the outside all I did was glare. I wished Hao would just go the hell away…

"We're the ones who don't understand here!" HoroHoro yelled. "Anyways, what the hell is _with _that Hao guy?"

"There's no need for you to understand," Ashiru called as his oversoul lifted its robotic-looking arm. "Because you're all going to die here!" His spirit pounded the ground, and I oversouled and took to the air while the others jumped to avoid the fault line that had appeared in the dirt.

"What power!" Ryu called.

"Not surprising for its size," HoroHoro noted.

Yoh landed and chuckled as I swooped down beside him. "He's like Ren's dad!"

"Don't make him the same as that thing," Ren retorted immediately; I wasn't exactly sure which one he meant by 'him' and which one he meant by 'thing,' but it was just a brief thought.

"Hao's pawns are my enemies!" Lyserg screeched as he shot out his pendulum, which promptly bounced off the spirit's armor harmlessly.

As HoroHoro and Ren hurried in to attack Ashiru, I whipped around when I noticed the aura of another shaman.

"This way, Yoh-sama, Tori-sama," the extremely over-muscled man said, apparently an American-football player by the outfit that he wore.

"Who are you?" Yoh asked.

"_Ready, set!_" the football-shaman yelled as a horde of football-player spirits suddenly surrounded me and Yoh. _"Steel Curtain!"_

"W-what is this?" Yoh yelled.

"You'll be safe in here," the football-shaman said. "My defense circle is perfect."

"You're not making any sense. I don't have time to deal with your nonsense." Yoh jumped into the air to attack, and I flew upwards. However, the spirits stacked themselves on top of each other in a sort of multiplication technique or something and sent Yoh flying backwards right into me, sending us both to the ground. Before he could somehow get in contact with my mark, I scrambled to my feet.

"Serves you right, Asakura Yoh!" Ashiru called with a laugh. "You two just watch from there as your friends die!"

My pulse was already racing at Ashiru's threat, but what I heard from HoroHoro sent me over the top: "Treating only Yoh and Tori special?"

"Why are we the only ones left out?" Yoh asked in confusion, still sitting on the ground.

As always, I knew the answer as Ashiru paused. "Hao-sama does not want the girl hurt. And I cannot harm… a descendant of Hao-sama."

The revelation was sure to have shocked the others, and I could very well have started panicking at any second, but all Yoh said was: "No wonder we look alike."

I _really _felt like I could've smacked Yoh for that, but my emotions were so haywire that all I did was shake as I tried to figure out what to do. Not exactly registering what was happening, I saw HoroHoro and Ryu shatter the arms of Ashiru's oversoul, but the spirit just regenerated itself as Ashiru laughed.

"Ryu! HoroHoro!" Yoh yelled as Ashiru's oversoul smacked the ground. Yoh rushed at the circle of spirits and attacked them, but they didn't budge, so he rushed to attack the opposite end, only to be pushed back.

"Yoh!" As he fell to the ground, I rushed forward and just barely managed to catch him and help him stand up straight.

"With your current strength," the football-shaman said, "You won't be able to break through my Steel Curtain."

Yoh growled and began to rush at the spirits, and this time I joined him.

"Don't be so hasty!" Ashiru called, causing me to stop short and look up. "Only two have died."

I probably would've completely flipped over the edge if I hadn't heard Ryu's voice just then. I couldn't really hear what he and HoroHoro said due to the fact that my veins were coursing with adrenaline, but relief swept through me.

"You guys are rather tough for insects," Ashiru commented.

"That's the only good thing about them!" Ren yelled as he sent his trademark volley of yellowish stabs at Ashiru, earning what sounded like a "Hey! We're still down here!" from HoroHoro.

There was a sudden yell, and Yoh was knocked into me from behind. We fell to the ground, and he hit my mark, causing me to scream out in absolute pain; however, Yoh jumped away from me so quickly that my scream hardly made any difference in the sounds of battle.

"Are you okay?" Yoh asked instantly, helping me to my feet. I nodded, struggling to control my breathing.

There were other yells of pain, and we both looked up sharply to see that everyone was being crushed in the fists of the oversoul.

"I'm surprised that you were able to participate in the Shaman Fight with those powers," Ashiru scoffed.

"Everyone!" Yoh yelled.

Without a second thought, I flew straight up into the air, stupidly ignoring Yoh on the ground. The Steel Curtain of spirits multiplied to stack up to try and prevent me from flying away, but with a yell, Yoh somehow destroyed the football shaman's oversoul. Gratefully, I flew towards Ashiru's oversoul, but Yoh somehow beat me and sliced the oversoul's arms in half, releasing the others as the parts that had been cut from the oversoul sunk into the ground.

I didn't land on the ground, but I kept close to the others as Ashiru looked stricken. But even as I looked at his face, he grinned. "Thank you, Yoh-sama, for getting in my way. Now I have an excuse to kill you.

"As long as Hao-sama has me by his side…," Ashiru continued as his oversoul's arms somehow regenerated themselves, "everything will be fine!"

His oversoul struck the ground where Yoh and the others had been standing, and we all rushed out of the way. I flew upwards in attempt to get out of range and flapped my wings to set out a fiery X at Ashiru; the attack landed, but it didn't seem to have made any damage.

_Damn it, _I thought as Lyserg shot out his pendulum again, which bounced off the oversoul's armor. _I wish I had more strength…_

"You small fries should stay out of this," Ashiru said just as Lyserg formed his Big Ben Wire attack, which I had to fly out of range of. Just as I evaded Lyserg's attempted attack, though, one of my legs was suddenly grabbed. Beginning to panic - I did _not _like being captured in the sky, my domain - I flapped my wings wildly, sending off random spurts of fire that only managed to hit Ashiru's oversoul because I was so close to it.

I heard Lyserg scream out, and suddenly I felt a burst of his shamanic energy, and I looked up to see his giant upside-down Big Ben tower crash down onto the main of Ashiru's oversoul. When this happened, the oversoul let go of me, and I flew away gratefully, but when the dust from the attack cleared, Ashiru hadn't been harmed at all; in fact, he and his oversoul had somehow gotten behind Lyserg and me.

"Watch out, Lyserg!" Ryu called, jumping into the air (almost hitting me in the process) and slashing the arm off of the oversoul; Ren followed suit with a well-aimed Golden Chuuka Zanmai as I flew out of the way in order not to be hit.

"Was that supposed to be an attack? It felt less painful than a mosquito bite," Ashiru taunted calmly, and I knew that we had barely made a dent in his overall furyoku level.

"What are you talking about?" Ryu demanded. "Your oversoul is battered."

In response, a large portion of the ground rose up and morphed into an exact copy of Ashiru's oversoul's arm as it attached to the main body. It looked brand new.

"His medium is the earth!" Lyserg exclaimed, giving me just another reason to stay off of it for now.

"I thought so," I heard Yoh say. "It seemed weird, since he came from the ground."

Ashiru huffed. "So what if you know that?"

Before he could make another move, HoroHoro punched with his oversoul, freezing the ground around Ashiru's oversoul, as well as most of the thing itself. "You can't regenerate if I freeze the ground," he boasted, turning his not-so-often smartness into cockiness. However, his next words were, "I'm leaving the rest to you, Yoh!"

"_Shinkuu Buttagiri!_" Yoh yelled as he slashed out, slicing the oversoul in half diagonally through the main body. In a cloud of dust, the oversoul sank to the ground, leaving Ashiru standing there. If anything, he looked demonic, and I backed up slightly in the air.

"You think you've won?" he asked dangerously. "As long as there is earth, I can use the oversoul an infinite amount of times."

"You're right," Yoh agreed calmly. "But your furyoku shouldn't be able to last that long. Once we weaken you until you can't use the oversoul anymore, we'll win."

Ashiru narrowed his eyes. "Very well." He held out his hand towards the ground, regenerating the entire oversoul once again, spikes protruding from one of its arms. "Asakura Yoh! Show me your strength, the strength that Hao-sama seeks, and I will destroy it all! Die!" he yelled, his eyes more demonic than ever.

It was in that instant, that split moment, that my senses went over the roof as the heavens literally opened up, a white light shooting down, straight through Ashiru's stomach. The boy's lips moved, but I was too shocked to hear the words as the light faded and his oversoul shattered and exploded in a burst of a new, bright light that I had to shield my eyes against.

The next moment, the sudden increase of shamanic energy startled me, and it was a second before I could comprehend a giant mechanical oversoul angel descending to the ground, six or so white-coated shamans appearing. I hadn't even noticed that I'd come back down to the ground until I realized that my legs were a little tingly from dropping a few feet out of the air. Even my oversoul had disappeared, but Nix had integrated with me of his own will.

The X-Laws.

I remembered watching the blond man, Marco, fight in the preliminaries. Ruthless, absolutely ruthless, but none of them had killed just then, but they had made it certainly clear then - and now - that nothing would stop them from defeating Hao, even if they killed.

_Whatever happened to 'Thou shalt not kill'? _I thought, although it didn't make a big impact in my brain - it was more like a random thought that popped into my mind.

"Evil has no choice but to vanish in front of the light of justice," Marco declared, officially making his dramatic entrance known.

"W-who the hell are these guys?" Ryu stammered.

"We are the X-Laws," Marco revealed. "We are the messengers of justice who will destroy the source of all evil, Hao.

"X-Laws?" Lyserg repeated, obviously interested. I couldn't say I shared his opinion, but in a sick sort of way, we kind of owed the X-Laws for… helping us with Ashiru. I might sound cruel, but while their killing of Ashiru was a bit… unorthodox, it did kinda help…

After all, I was _supposed _to be unbiased, wasn't I? I couldn't be with Yoh and the others, but I could _try _here, in case one of them did win the Shaman Fight. It had never happened before, but if I wasn't willing to help the Shaman King, well…

"We saw how you fight," Marco went on, and I got the sense that he wasn't talking to me. "The pure furyoku you people possess is something we would proudly welcome." Here, though, struck me, and I wondered if he or their higher-up, Jeanne, knew about me, but I decided to push that worry aside for now. It helped that, at the end of this last one, HoroHoro went "Wha?"

"That power shall become a holy sword that will destroy Hao if you join us," Marco continued, extending his hand. "Let us fight Hao together!"

"Did you kill him?" Yoh asked seriously after a moment, and I had a feeling where this was going.

"We didn't kill him. We executed him," Marco replied as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

This set me off - as it certainly did to the others - but I struggled to remain impassive. Nix urged me on in the back of my mind, praising me that I was finally on the right track, but I blocked him out, focusing on the matter at hand.

"Hao in an absolute evil that gives birth to corruption in this world," Marco went on. "We have to pass judgment against Hao and those who follow him. We know that you're a descendant of Hao. But you don't have to worry about it. By fighting alongside us, that sin of yours will-"

"I refuse!" Yoh snapped, actually managing to make me jump a little in my skin.

Marco adjusted his glasses. "I see. I suppose you need some time to think it over. Let us meet again." With that, he and the X-Laws disappeared in a shine of light, leaving behind feathers, one of which decided to float towards me.

_Just think about feathers when you see them, _I told myself, making the connection between this pure white feather and the red one tied around my neck. I didn't know why I was struggling so hard to remain impassive when I'd long ago crossed that boundary with Yoh and the others (and Hao…), but I couldn't let feelings interfere with my duty in the end.

"Who do they think they are?" Ren asked huskily in the silence.

"…X-Laws…," Lyserg muttered.

()()()()()()()

Apparently, the bus stop did get business, and by sunset we were sitting in a bus. Yoh and Lyserg near the front in separate seats, Ren, Ryu, and HoroHoro in the three seat in the back. I sat in the middle, my knees pulled up to my chest and my arms slung around them as I looked out the window.

I could feel Nix's pleasure at me struggling to keep impassive - don't take this the wrong way; he might seem to be cold-hearted, but really, all he cared about was my well-being, that I knew - but I also knew that all us shamans were thinking about the same thing.


	34. The Hot Springs

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King.**

_Seriously. I've been planning this chapter since almost DAY ONE. However, lots of changes had to be made (my mind wanders; I thought I'd have much more fluff by now, but I am perfectly content with this chapter). Just in case, here's an apology beforehand: the last real scene here was originally outside rather than inside, but the means that they would've gone outside were OOC, so I decided to just keep them inside._

_I had so much fun with this one XD *giggles and squeals like a fangirl* Though the main plot of the episode, with Sharona's rival... whats-her-ugly-face, I can't remember, but anyways, I'll just come out and say that I ignored it. When first planning, I wanted to incorporate her to fool Tori somehow, but that's not possible at all. Eh, we can't have all the things in life, can we? *pets Ren's hair* XD_

_On a side-note, I realized I've been writing "Great Spirit," as in singular, when it's "Great Spirits." I had no clue what was in my brain o.O Apologies._

**Thirty-Four: The Hot Springs**

We had come of the main of the desert, at least for now, and were now sitting in a pile of hay on a trailer as some really nice farmer pulled us along at a leisurely pace down the road with his tractor. There wasn't too much too see, just fields of wheat and mountains in the distance, but I was looking up at the sky; all of us were lost in thought about the X-Laws, although I was actually trying _not _to think about them. After all, if I pushed them aside in my mind, that would be like impassiveness, would it not?

Hay, as a matter of fact, is _not _something that is soft and fluffy, as it feels like most people tend to believe. Hay is really scratchy and stiff, and while it would be more comfy to sit on it than something hard, I did not want any getting in my tights by accident, so I sat with my back against the side of the trailer, my arms resting on my bent knees as I looked up at the sky. Lyserg was at the highest point on the pile, Yoh a little below him, with Ryu and HoroHoro lying on their backs in front of me, Ren sitting up in between them. It was quite cramped.

"Watch out," Ren suddenly snapped, pulling my attention to him as he looked accusingly to HoroHoro.

"I can't help it," the Ainu argued, temper flaring as usual. "There's not much room in here."

Ren huffed, looking towards the front of the trailer. "In any case, this thing is too slow. Can't you go any fast-"

On impulse, I kicked him in the shin, and he snapped his yellow eyes to me; when once this would have been hateful, he was only annoyed. _'Be grateful that we even have a ride,' _I signed.

"We'd make better time if we were walk-"

"Hey," Ryu interrupted, looking pointedly upward. I followed his gaze to where Lyserg sat, staring off into space with a definite relaxed air about him. Ryu sighed, but I forced any feeling that I might have felt and went back to trying to keep my mind off of… things, deciding to play with a bit of hay, twisting it between the fingers of my right hand.

Not too long later, my attention was caught by the sound of gushing water, and I looked to see said water spouting into the air, the source of this hidden behind a line of pine trees.

"What's that?" Ryu asked.

"It's a geyser," Ren explained, as if he were talking to a stupid person (which he probably thought he was doing).

"Geyser?" Ryu repeated.

"It's a type of hot spring that erupts periodically," Ren clarified.

"A hot spring, eh?" Yoh said in amazement.

A hot spring… Hot water, the only kind I liked. My interest was certainly piqued.

Ryu held up a map. "I see. It looks like there a lot of hot springs around here, and a hot spring district nearby too!"

"We're in America," Ren pointed out. "It's not a hot spring district, it's a spa resort."

"That sounds nice," Yoh said, and even though I couldn't see his face, I knew he was grinning. "Shall we take a break and relax a while?"

"Are you asking me?" Ren replied in surprise.

"We should take a break every once in a while," Yoh pointed out.

"But master," I heard Ryu whisper as he leaned in towards Yoh, "if you say something like that, Lyserg will…" He trailed off, and he and Yoh turned toward Lyserg, who turned around.

"What? Yeah, that sounds good," he said somewhat distractedly, but also in a much kinder tone than he had ever used before when someone talked about delaying the trip to Patch Village.

"All right!" Ryu exclaimed. "Let's wash each other's backs! We're going to live it up at the hot springs tonight, Lyserg!"

Oh Great Spirits… I put my face in my hand, embarrassed just to be in Ryu's presence. There was no way in hell that I would ever let any one of them get close to my back, and not just because of my mark.

"What?" HoroHoro yelled; he had dozed off. "Hot spring buns? I want some!"

"They don't sell those at American hot springs!" Ren snapped back.

Yoh chuckled, but at that moment, I noticed the aura of a shaman, and I looked to see a woman on a scooter following at a distance, someone I couldn't recognize, at least from here.

()()()()()()()()

"They do sell them," I heard HoroHoro mutter as he looked intensely at a box of hot spring buns.

"So this is a spa resort?" Ryu asked as we looked around the Japanese-styled resort. It was full of people dressed in not-quite-traditional robes - there were even a couple of people carting around a palanquin. It was such a hard attempt at being Japanese that it was laughable.

"It's just like Japan," Lyserg said, though I thought it was odd that he would say this because he was British.

"Don't lump them together!" Ren growled, crossing his arms, pulling his hand into a fist as someone with an obviously fake katana sheath walked past. "Westerners are so…!"

Yoh looked like he was going to laugh and say something, but I gave Ren a little whack on the arm, and when he looked up at me I signed, _'I take offense to that.'_

"That's right!" Yoh said before Ren could have a chance to reply. "You were born here, right Tori?"

I nodded, then added, _'But you have to admit, Ren, this is amusing.'_

The golden-eyed boy huffed. "It is not." His eyes suddenly flashed. "If you're American, how do you know Japanese so well?" he asked in suspicion.

I had to force myself to not blink in surprise. _'My mother is Japanese.'_ This was an absolute lie, because, even though I had rather pale skin, I was Patch through and through, in this life.

I was sure that Ren didn't buy it, but I was saved when a voice asked, "Have you decided on a hotel yet?" I looked over to see a woman in a Japanese dress standing there, a fan in her hand. "Please stay at our traditional Japanese style hotel if you haven't," she added.

Ryu then said something that just wouldn't sound right for me to repeat as he referred to the woman's rather revealing dress, and I resisted the urge to kick him. "Let's stay at this place, master," he begged Yoh, his hands folded together.

"_How _is this traditional Japanese?" Ren yelled, pointing at Ryu accusingly.

"Now, now," Yoh said, obviously amused. "You don't have to be so angry."

"Aren't you mad that your own country is being made fun of?" Ren asked.

_Note to self,_ I thought, _if you want to tick Ren off, make fun of China. And the number three._

"We've come here for the hot springs," Yoh pointed out as the woman led us into a hotel. "I'm not concerned about the little details."

Ren, being the rich boy that he was, bought us a suite with separate bedrooms for all of us, something that I was thankful for. We went to the suite first to get what few possessions we had organized before we went to the hot spring, and, well, this was were it got a little_… _awkward.

There were a lot of neat things in the suite, including a ping-pong table, which had a note from the hotel on it. HoroHoro reached it first, and I was just about to leave to head to the room that I would claim to be mine when he exclaimed, "Oh! We can all go to the hot spring together! There's a special coed one!"

I paused, and the silence that followed his words was tense as I turned around to look at him incredulously. (I was also avoiding looking at Ryu, for obvious reasons.) HoroHoro seemed to have realized what he had said after a moment, because, while I couldn't see his face, his ears turned pink.

"Kisama," Ren barked as he hit the Ainu upside the head. Was it just me, or was his face a little…red?

"What did you do that for?" HoroHoro snapped, turning to the Chinese boy.

"I did it because you're an idiot," Ren deadpanned.

Deciding that it would be better to just leave the boys, I turned and went to claim my room.

()()()()()()()()

I sat alone in one of the womens' hot springs, towel wrapped tightly around me. No one would be able to see my mark, but I was still protective of it, as well as myself, in case any hotel guests had a mind like Ryu's, and also especially since this and the coed hot spring were only separated by about twenty feet of bushes - just bushes. No walls. The water was hot and relaxing, but I was integrated with Nix to keep my ears alert. Other than Yoh and the others, I could sense another shaman in the area, but since we were traveling to Patch Village I wasn't too concerned about it, because I really didn't have a reason to be; I couldn't recognize it, anyway.

The only thing about having keen ears, though, was that I could hear Yoh and the rest of the group conversing in their hot spring. I tried not to pay too much attention - they were talking about the X-Laws, and by the sound of it, Lyserg had taken a bit of a liking to them, but he also had a lot of questions, especially about why Hao was after Yoh so much. However, my interest was piqued when Ren asked a question.

"So you won't join the X-Laws, right?"

"It's too tiring to think about so many things," Yoh replied, "but in any case, I don't think we should be discussing anything without Tori."

"Haven't you noticed, though?" Ren asked, and I felt my heartbeat quicken. "She never makes any decisions for herself; she always follows whatever the group decides, she never gives any input on where to go. It's…"

"Well, well," Ryu said, and even though I was a little panicky at Ren's misgivings about me, I could imagine him raising his eyebrow. "If you pay that much attention to her, you must have a little liking-"

"I do _not_!" Ren barked immediately. "I'm just saying," he went on, lowering his voice, "don't you think it's odd? She only talks about herself when asked to, too. What does Hao want with her, anyway?"

"That's just the way Tori is," Yoh explained. "And who knows, but she doesn't look anything like me, so she can't be his descendant as well," he chuckled.

"Yeah," HoroHoro agreed, voice a little rough and… hostile? "It's no big deal."

"Just don't mess with her," Ryu advised seriously. "She'll kick you in the nuts so hard you'll wish she killed you."

Yoh suddenly laughed loudly. "After I fought Pailong, she told me and Manta that she did that to Ren!"

He and the others made hisses of sympathy but also laughed, but Ren didn't reply as they changed conversation, and I knew that he was surprised by this new information. I stared at the steaming water in front of me, trying not to think about what had really happened with me and Ren (I had barely felt anything in the first place, and I kissed him so he would get away from me!), and to instead think logically. If Ren was starting to get this suspicious… Well, not _starting_, but you know…

'_**I think that it's time we leave them behind,'**_ Nix suggested.

As much as Nix's suggestion made sense, I didn't want to leave - who knew when I might see them again, if ever. _**'No,' **_I replied. _**'That would just make them know that I'm hiding something. It would be best to act like I never heard them at all.' **_

Nix mentally sighed. _**'All I want is for you to be safe. You might not be safe if it comes you trying to give them aid they won't accept, nor will you be if they figure it out.'**_

I didn't even respond; I didn't want to argue with Nix, I didn't want to be faced with reality. If the trip to Patch Village lasted forever, I would be happy, but that would never happen.

()()()()()()()

Later, back in the suite, I watched HoroHoro and Ryu play a heated match of ping-pong while Yoh sat in the massage chair and Ren drank his three bottles of milk. I could feel an annoyingly close shaman nearby, probably the one I had seen earlier, but I wouldn't concern myself over it too much.

Ryu smashed the ball back to HoroHoro, who drastically cheated and had Kororo slow down the ball for him, which he rallied back to Ryu, who missed his shot.

"That was cheap! You're cheating!" Ryu accused, pointing. "Right, Lyserg? You saw that too, didn't you?" He looked over to where Lyserg had been standing by the window, but the dowser wasn't there anymore; even I hadn't noticed him leave. "Where'd he go? We promised to take another bath and wash each other's backs," he added dejectedly.

"Of course he would want to run away," HoroHoro sighed, and I couldn't help but chuckle; the Ainu noticed and caught my eye before grinning.

When Ryu went back out to the hot spring and Yoh went to bed, I took his ping-pong paddle and stood across the table from HoroHoro. He raised an eyebrow, and I twitched the fingers of my free hand in that clichéd 'come hither' way, and he cracked another grin before serving the ball.

I'd played ping-pong before in past lives (never by my choice - don't ask), and while I could rally back and forth with HoroHoro well enough, neither of us could get a point against each other. It was vexing, to say the least, and the Ainu was actually swearing, though he seemed to be enjoying the game, at least. Finally, I couldn't stand it.

'_**Nix, give me a wing.'**_

This time, as I rallied back the ball, Nix appeared, seemingly bored, at my shoulder, flapping his wings once to get a burst of air to the ball, which struck HoroHoro's side of the table before bouncing with expert speed past his shoulder, _pinging _off the wall and hitting the Ainu in the back of the head. I couldn't help it; I laughed.

"That's cheating!" HoroHoro yelled, pointing at me and Nix. The phoenix, as if he felt too important to be in the presence of this silly Ainu, faded away, and I pulled at my lower eyelid and stuck my tongue out at HoroHoro - you know, the way all noble winners do. He deserved a taste of his own medicine, anyway.

Ren, who had walked out to apparently change into apparently nothing but dark pants to probably go train, walked back into the room. "You make enough racket for five people, and Tori can't even speak."

"Ha ha, very funny," HoroHoro said, putting his paddle down. He looked incredibly irked that Ren had come in, but he also seemed kind of tired - it was getting late, too. However, instead of heading off to bed, he turned to the Chinese shaman. "Going out to train?" he asked, and the casual air that went with it sounded…forced.

"Not everyone gets sufficient training from _ping-pong_," Ren pointed out, though I don't think he knew what had apparently set HoroHoro on edge, and neither did I.

HoroHoro shrugged. "It's fun enough. Anyways," he added, stretching as he yawned. "I'm tired. G'night, Tori," he wished with a wave before walking past Ren toward his room. I was a little unsettled by his odd behavior just now, but as soon as he was gone, I found myself yawning as well, so I turned away toward where my room was. Maybe it was time to hit the hay - actually, wait. Hay was scratchy.

"Tori."

I blinked and looked toward Ren, who had one hand on the sliding door handle that lead outside. He cast a backward glance at me and spoke quietly. "Back before all of this… why did you try to push me out of the way of that truck?"

I stared at him. That had been months ago, but I had reminded myself of it a few days ago, when HoroHoro and I had met Allen. I remembered how I had been terrified for Ren, a stranger then; I hadn't wanted him to get hit, I hadn't wanted him to die. No one deserved to die like that, except for perhaps me, after how cold I had been in my last life toward Tai.

Deciding to tell as much of the truth as I possibly could, I signed, _'My brother got hit by a car. He died instantly.' _What I didn't include was how I, Maylin, had died then as well after Tai had failed to push me out of the way in time.

Ren stiffened, turning towards me a little more. However, instead of saying something like 'I'm sorry' or something else stupid, he sighed in exhaustion and exasperation. "You confuse me far more than a person should be able to. It's damn annoying."

I blinked once and continued to stare at him, unsure of this conversation.

Ren went on. "Ryu's the pervert, Lyserg's the angst-filled little shit, HoroHoro is just a kisama in general, and Yoh's so damned easygoing…" He trailed off and pierced me with his flaxen-gold eyes. "But what are you?"

I flinched slightly at that, but more at the 'what' than the entire sentence. Did he not consider me human? In retrospect, I didn't know if I was _entirely_ human, what with my obligatory reincarnations, but still…

And then again, perhaps Ren hadn't meant for it to come out quite like that.

Ren's eyes softened slightly from their piercing but were still intense. "Whenever you're stuck in the back, you scream. Is it because of that mark?"

He didn't have it completely right with the 'whenever,' but the observation made me unconsciously back up slightly.

Ren blinked and his mouth opened slightly in surprise, but he regained his composure quickly. "I'm not going to attack you, baka," he said harshly as he turned around. His voice became less strong as he went on. "I don't hate you anymore, but I don't understand what Hao wants from you… If it turns out that you really are on his side, I won't hesitate to pay you back for betrayal."

With that, he opened the sliding door, throwing one last sentence at me without looking back before he disappeared.

"You had better not let it come to that."

With Ren finally gone, I stared at nothing. His words had just about cut into me, searching for the truth behind my lies. He didn't understand me - he wanted to know me, what I was, and, most of all, what Hao wanted with me.

Oddly enough, his threat about if I was on Hao's side didn't scare me, and not just because I felt it ironic that I would be on Hao's side. No, it wasn't that. It was a realization that terrified me.

When I looked at Ren, I didn't see Chrom dying at his hands or hear him laughing or feel palpable evil anymore. Instead, I saw an egotistical son of a bitch who was harsh and mostly inconsiderate, but also the kindest, perhaps most loyal person that could ever exist under those layers.

He had said he didn't hate me anymore, and I didn't hate him anymore, either. And right now, that scared me more than anything else for reasons I didn't know.

()()()()()()()()

The rest of the night didn't seem all that important. Trying to clear my head, I had gone for a walk when the others minus Lyserg had found me, saying that they had been looking for me and the dowser. I went with them to search for Lyserg, staying beside HoroHoro so that I didn't have to look at Ren.

Apparently, the shaman I had sensed had tried to lure the others into a trap with Sharona's spirit, who could change her form. Speaking of Sharona, the Lily Five was there too, but I honestly can say that I wasn't paying any attention to what was going on. I just wanted to go to sleep.


	35. The Vampire

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King.**

_Oh, I had fun with thinking up this chapter. Little fangirl squeals of excitement with plot bunnies, but it's all good. XD Oh, the vampire; this is the only real good kind to me. This episode (not the chapter, unfortunately) talked a bit about Vlad the Impaler, which actually helped me in History class. Is it disturbing that I find Vlad kind of an interesting guy in history?_

_Anyways, that ramble aside, let me think of another one... oh, here's one: Lyserg's such a... a... oh, I can't think up a word. If he wasn't such a bleep, I think I'd have a thing for him; out of all of them, I think the pendulum is one of the coolest, all-around weapons: deadly crystal spike, wire for defense, and to top it off you can find your keys with it! XD Eh bit of a bad joke, wonder what Chocolove would think. But I think dowsing is fascinating o.o speaking of which, SK also helped me last year when my science teacher told us about... psudo-science, I think it was. Dowsing, palm reading, stuff like that. I think. In any case, after Ren's Kwan Dao (dude, iwantit o.o), I'd have Lyserg's pendulum. Anyone know what the name is for its dock thing on his wrist?_

_Aaaaaaaaaaaaand, I'm going to force myself to stop rambling. I need food._

_Enjoy!_

**Thirty-Five: The Vampire**

"We have to find food on our own?" HoroHoro complained as the church minister turned us away from any dinner we might have had there (the only holy people that I had ever really been around were the Patch, and the church minister seemed… I'm not sure, but his aura was sort of shamanic, but I decided to ignore it - I had no clue what sort of energy church leaders had). We had come to another town since the hot spring, and the traveling had cleared my mind enough to realize that I couldn't dwell on things, mostly because there was no point in doing so.

"We should at least be thankful for being able to stay at this church," Lyserg pointed out.

"We should split up and look around," Yoh suggested.

"Where'd Ryu go?" Ren asked.

Amidamaru appeared behind us. "He was telling Tokagero about that building," he explained, motioning towards the place that was situated right next to the church. There were a few pictures hung out front depicting movies, ranging from one of those little under budgeted _G _rated ones to _Dracula_.

"What's that?" HoroHoro asked, probably unable to read the English sign above the door.

"It's a movie theater," Lyserg said. "I wonder if it's still open."

I prodded Yoh. _'I'll go see if he's in there, if you want me to.'_

Yoh shook his head. "We'll go with you."

Together, we all walked into the theater. For such a small, mostly run-down town, both its church and its theater were pretty grand, even though there weren't any people in either. There wasn't even an attendant at the ticket booth or behind the snack counter, though it appeared someone had left a bucket of popcorn out, which I couldn't help but snag a handful from - HoroHoro saw this and gave me a conspiratorial look before grabbing a handful as well. Though the saying is clichéd, it was a little too quiet, but I thought it was kind of nice that way. Hey, if we could get into the theater to find Ryu without having to pay for a ticket, that was all right with me.

The only problem was to figure out what movie he had gone to see, and we all split up to look. One sign depicted a rather… adult title, and even though that was a likely choice, I put that down as the last resort option. Instead, I turned towards the doors that led to _Dracula_, and, lo and behold, Tokagero flew through the wood, nearly bumping into me in fright.

The bandit seemed to be scared but embarrassed when he saw me. "Going to get Ryu some… so-tah, I think he called it," he explained in what was obviously a lie as he continued on. I chuckled at this as I went inside the dark theater, walking down the aisle slowly and looking up to see a blonde woman onscreen running away from Dracula. I looked to see Ryu… _lying _just outside one of the rows.

Nix was at my side in an instant, but before I could do anything, someone touched the small of my back, and absolute pain coursed through me so that the world blacked out for just a moment. Thank the King of Spirits, it lasted only a second, but I found myself facedown on the floor, my neck throbbing and sore.

That wasn't the most alarming thing, though. I immediately pulled a mental blanket over the main bulk of the important secrets in my mind, keeping the intruder out of them. I needed to expel this spirit out of my body, but it was stubbornly stuck in my mind. I was about to put my hands up to my head in a vain attempt to try and force it out…

…but I couldn't move.

I heard a yell, and I vaguely recognized it as Tokagero, but it was soon gone, as if he was fleeing.

"Tori!" I heard Yoh say, as well as hurried footsteps. He rolled me over and gasped at something, but my eyes were closed, and I was suddenly mentally bombarded.

'_**You're not supposed to be able to be conscious through this!'**_

It was the spirit. Vaguely, in the background, I felt Yoh pick me up, and I could hear Nix in the recesses of my mind, but I couldn't tell what he was saying.

'_**Get out of my head!' **_I snapped back, trying to struggle but only being able to do so mentally, which got me nowhere in this situation.

'_**I honestly don't care what you're hiding behind that cover, but it'd be better if you let yourself lose consciousness for this.'**_

The words were odd, but I was too panicked to do anything but try and mentally struggle.

Time seemed to speed up, and the next thing I knew, I was being put down on a… church pew? I couldn't open my eyes, couldn't move anything; the spirit had complete control over me, which not only felt weird and wrong but also… _scary._

"Tori!" I heard HoroHoro say.

'_**I'm telling you, it would be better if you weren't aware.'**_

'_**Get **_**out**_**!'**_

"Whatever got her must've knocked out Ryu too," Lyserg said. "But his skin isn't grey like Tori's…"

I heard Ren's voice next. "She has a wound from fangs, but…"

"So vampires really exist?" Yoh asked, sounding both awed and worried.

Though I wished they could find a way to get me back to normal sooner, most of my attention was stuck on the spirit. If I was fully open to it, I would be able to know who or what it really was, and I could possibly even be able to expel it, but there was no way in hell that I would let it see my mind.

"Don't make such silly conclusions!" HoroHoro argued.

"This is ridiculous," Ren said. "There's no way that vampires-"

"But kyonshii exist, right?" Yoh interrupted, making a good point.

I heard Amidamaru call out, but the spirit in my head became in insistent. _**'Just go to sleep; you **_**don't **_**want to be awake for this.'**_

'_**Shut up!' **_Why couldn't he just stop talking, just leave me alone?

"What kind of shaman was he?" Ren asked.

"Shaman?" Lyserg repeated.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ren said. "Hao has sent another shaman, and baka Tori was attacked. That's all. However…" he went on, "it's odd; Hao's minions have made it a point not to attack either you, Yoh, or her… but why now?"

"Does it matter?" HoroHoro shot back. "We don't know what's wrong with her!"

"Do you guys really believe that he's just a normal shaman?" I heard Tokagero ask. "He became mist and disappeared in an instant! Even shamans are normal humans. How could he pull off a trick like that?"

There was a pause. "You were just seeing things," Ren said with finality.

I heard a door open, and I recognized the voices of a couple of the Lily Five, but before I could take in any of their conversation with the others, my eyes snapped open of the spirit's accord. My vision was fuzzy, and my eyes flicked around without my consent, and my muscles twitched. My legs swung over the edge of the pew, and I mentally fought against it as I stood, but to no avail.

'_**Stop it!' **_I pleaded, hoping that this wasn't going where I thought it was.

The spirit didn't answer as it turned me around toward the door, fixing my eyes on Milly and Elly, though I could see Ren and HoroHoro facing the two girls as well in my peripheral vision.

"Tori!" Yoh exclaimed.

The spirit forced me to growl, making my throat sore, and before I knew what was happening, I was rushing at Milly and Elly.

'_**No!'**_

Before I could attack the two, I was frozen, stuck in a block of ice. I wasn't sure how I was aware of this, but I was, and I was thanking HoroHoro a million silent times. I could hear voices, but they were muffled through the ice, and I couldn't make out what they were saying. Before too long, though, they had faded.

Had they left? They were probably going to discuss what to do with me. The spirit was still there in my mind, but silent, and he wouldn't move my eyes, if they could be moved in this ice. I could see a reddish blur in front of me, and I knew Nix was trying to communicate with me. He wanted to help me get out, but even if he could without my help, how could we get me freed from this spirit?

It felt like hours before I heard voices again, but it must've been only twenty minutes. If I really focused, I could hear at least parts the conversation: it was between Ren and Yoh, if I was correct. It helped that there wasn't a lot of people talking at once.

"The X-Laws might… save her," Ren grunted. "What are you going to do, Yoh?"

"…don't think that Hao's doing the right thing," Yoh replied, so quiet that I could just barely hear him. "But I don't agree with those X… I wonder if Ryu will wake up soon."

There were a few more things said, one of them being, "You look sleepy, HoroHoro. Are you okay?"

Yoh and Ren soon left; at least that's what it seemed like. HoroHoro didn't talk, and neither did Lyserg, though I wasn't entirely sure that he was there. Before HoroHoro went to sit down in the pews, he stood in front of me. I couldn't really see what he was doing, or hear if he was saying anything, but he didn't stay too long. I was grateful that he had frozen me to keep me from doing anything terrible, but even if I couldn't shiver, I was freezing.

About half an hour after that, I just barely heard Lyserg say, "Please take watch for a while."

I was beginning to wonder how long I would be frozen like this. The spirit couldn't stay in my mind forever - could it? I could try to expel it again by putting all my force into it instead of veiling my secrets, but to make sure it wouldn't tell them, I might have to… destroy the spirit.

Before I could decide, there was a shattering sound, and I panicked, wondering where it was coming from, but before I could get a sense of what was going on, the spirit directed my body to duck down behind a pew.

"What's going on?" I heard HoroHoro say, sounding unnerved, bordering on panic. "There should've been more time before the ice melted."

With speed, the spirit forced me to duck around a few rows of pews to crouch and sneak up towards HoroHoro.

'_**No!'**_

'_**I told you,' **_the spirit said, _**'you'd be better off not knowing what was happening.'**_

I heard a door slam open and Ren yelled, "What happened?"

HoroHoro turned around towards them, and I wanted nothing more at that moment for him to run. "This is bad! The ice has-"

Roughly, the spirit forced me to grab his arms to make sure he was facing away from me, and, King of Spirits help me, I kneed him in the back. He let out a yell of pain, and I threw him against a pew.

'_**HoroHoro!'**_

I didn't care anymore - I forgot all about trying to keep my secret from this spirit, and I _pushed _against it with all my mental might. I couldn't hurt HoroHoro.

My body paused jerkily, and I heard running footsteps and hoped that Yoh and Ren would restrain me. I think I heard Ryu finally wake up and yell, but HoroHoro's black eyes caught mine, and the next thing I knew, I had bit him in the neck.

I felt the spirit leave me in that instant and I jerked backwards, unable to take my eyes off of HoroHoro.

Nix entered my body instantly. _**'Are you all right?" **_he asked, fear apparent in his mental voice. _**'I couldn't speak to you at all!'**_

I didn't respond, too transfixed by what was in front of me, but my spirit got my message.

"Tori!" Yoh exclaimed.

I didn't look back; my eyes were glued to HoroHoro, whose skin had turned ashy, his eyes glowing red as he stood, a growl emanating from his throat.

"What's going on?" Ryu asked.

"Now HoroHoro?" Yoh sounded confused.

A door opened, and I heard a yawn as Elly said, "What's going on?"

"Idiots!" Ren snapped. "Don't show yourselves!"

HoroHoro yelled and jumped into the air, but in a flash, a wire wrapped around him, holding his struggling form up in the air.

"Lyserg-sama!" Milly exclaimed, and I looked to see the dowser himself holding onto the end of his wire, his eyes narrowed.

Immediately, I knew something was wrong.

"All right!" Ren called. "Hold him like that, Lyserg!"

Lyserg didn't respond.

"Lyserg…?" Yoh asked.

Lyserg tightened his wire, and HoroHoro screamed.

"Stop it!" I yelled, voice raspy.

"Lyserg, what are you doing…?" Yoh asked.

Lyserg paused, and then pulled roughly on his wire, tipping HoroHoro upside down, forming his Big Ben-shaped oversoul around the Ainu. I stared upwards, horrified, but Yoh and Ren rushed past me, and a second later, Lyserg's oversoul faded and Ryu's green tentacle-like oversoul reached out and wrapped around HoroHoro, lowering him to the ground not to far from my feet.

"He seems to be alive…," I heard Ryu say. "But how did this happen?"

"Keep him tied up like that," Ren ordered. "You guys," he said, and I knew he was addressing Milly, Elly, and the priest (who I could just barely sense in all of this chaos), "hide somewhere safe!"

I couldn't stop staring at HoroHoro's red eyes. Was that how I looked like when I was possessed? The Ainu struggled against Ryu's bond, but he couldn't get free. It was scary to see him so… so much like a demonic animal.

"Did you try to kill HoroHoro?" Yoh demanded, and I somehow pulled my eyes away from HoroHoro to see him holding Lyserg by the collar.

I could barely believe my ears when Lyserg said, "That's right."

"_What the hell did you just say?" _Yoh yelled, probably more intensely than I had ever heard him; his tone scared me even further.

"If we keep him alive, we could all become vampires," Lyserg explained. "If that happens, how are we going to defeat Hao?"

I opened my mouth to yell, but nothing came out; Nix had anticipated me and kept a firm hold on my vocal chords so that I couldn't force him to speak for me. In any case, I don't know what I would've said anyways. Literally, I was shaking.

"Defeat Hao?" Yoh repeated, his voice strained. "Changing HoroHoro back comes first!"

"You can't defeat Hao if you're like that, Yoh-kun," Lyserg replied, almost dejectedly.

Yoh punched the wall where Lyserg's head had just been; the resonating sound made me jump.

"Let's go," Yoh said finally as he stood and turned around.

"To where?" Lyserg asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Yoh asked. "To the source of the problem."

"Can you promise me something first?" Lyserg asked hurriedly. "If I become like Tori-kun or HoroHoro-kun… kill me."

Yoh didn't answer, and he and Ren hurried away toward where the priest, Milly, and Elly had disappeared to, and Lyserg quickly followed them.

I stayed where I was, trying to collect my thoughts. While it wasn't of my choosing, I had attacked HoroHoro, and then Lyserg had almost killed him. I thought about what Ren had said earlier, about Hao's minions giving special care to me and Yoh. I had no clue why Hao would have his minions attack me, for I knew he wanted me to get to Patch Village in one piece, unless he had forgotten to tell that to whoever's turn it was to attack us, though that was unlikely.

I shook my head as if to clear it, and then hurried over to where Ryu had HoroHoro still tied up, although now on the seat of a pew. Ryu, for once, looked quiet and disturbed, and I turned my attention to HoroHoro, who was still struggling against his bonds. However, even as I watched, his skin changed from ashy back to its regular pale shade, and his eyes lost their red color.


	36. Boris

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King.**

_Boris, Boris, what a good little vampire you are. A shaman vampire. But anyways, here we are, chapter 36. And I do truly believe that I have an answer for how exactly this story will end, isn't that fantastic? I think I'll include an alternate ending, though..._

_Warning: chapter contains Lyserg-emoness. And remember the priest? Never gets explailned from Tori's view, but Boris literally backstabs him and he becomes dust._

_I can't really think of anything to say. I had thought of putting up a Valentine's oneshot, but I don't think I will; I've been too busy, plus I wrote a short story for a school competition (it wasn't fluffy, it was FUNNY *evil grin*), so I'm Valentined-out. For now, maybe I'll feel differently tomorrow. Who knows. *shrugs*_

_A warning for all who have stomachs: stomach flus are terrible. TERRIBLE. *shudders at the memory* The only plus is that I lost weight. XD (Or is that a "minus"...?)_

_I'll update again on Valentine's: we'll call that, not only the monthaversary, but also a prezzie :D Because who doesn't love Chocolove?_

**Thirty-Six: Boris**

HoroHoro let out a small groan, and when Ryu noticed that the Ainu was no longer a vampire, he retracted his oversoul and freed HoroHoro.

"What happened?" the blue-haired Ainu asked as he sat up, blinking.

I scratched the back of my head, feeling incredibly guilty. Nix was still merged with me, so I spoke instead of signing. "I, uh, bit you - when I was a vampire."

HoroHoro turned to me, some shock registering on his face as he remembered how I had attacked him "Oh. Well, don't worry, Tori, it's not your fault," he assured me, although he seemed a little awkward. "But," he went on, "what'd I miss?"

"You attacked everyone, and Lyserg tried to kill you," I said bluntly.

HoroHoro blinked in surprise, but Ryu said, "No! Lyserg didn't mean to, I'm sure."

"You heard him, Ryu," I snapped, breaking off into a cough as I spoke too loudly. It lasted for a couple of seconds, and HoroHoro looked at me in concern, but I waved him away, my eyes watering.

"Anyway," Ryu said, "we should probably go see where the others went."

That was when we heard a scream.

"Lyserg!" Ryu yelled, running towards an open door that seemed to lead down into the basement. HoroHoro and I exchanged a look of confusion and some fright, and we hurried after him down the stairs.

The church's basement was dark, lit only by candles and the soft illumination of oversoul as Ryu's green vine-like attack shot out and grasped what I could just barely make out as black dagger-like objects that had been headed for little Milly, who Yoh picked up quickly.

"_Ame no Muakumo!" _Ryu yelled, shooting out the white heads of Yamata no Orochi as HoroHoro slashed out with his oversouled ikupasui, striking someone who I had yet to see, a very vampire-esque shaman (I was sure I had read about him in my Oracle Bell before during the preliminaries, but, so help me, his name escaped me). The attacks caused him to crash into the ceiling and make a dark hole, and he didn't come back down; instead, he disappeared from view.

"Heh, we did it," HoroHoro cheered rather cheekily.

Yoh put Milly down and turned around. "You saved us," he thanked as Elly rushed to Milly. "Are you all right now, HoroHoro?"

"I feel so ashamed. I wasn't able to control my body," HoroHoro admitted as he and Ryu walked forward, and I, feeling somehow very vulnerable in this basement, walked after them. My shoes brushed through something, and I looked to see a pile of dust on the floor, which I immediately knew was not just a bunch of dirt, though I pushed the thought from my mind. It occurred to me very strongly that the priest was missing. "But my body suddenly felt lighter and that was it," HoroHoro finished.

"It's not-" I began, but I suddenly began coughing. Was I choking on the ashes of the _priest_?

I wasn't sure if the others had heard me, but Milly began talking. "But Lyserg-sama was-"

"Lyserg!" Ryu suddenly exclaimed, running toward the dowser and kicking up more dust, which caused me to cough even more.

'_**I can't speak for you right now without hurting you,'**_ Nix explained as Isquinted one watering eye, opening my mouth to speak before snapping it shut irritably.

"Why won't he regain consciousness?" Milly asked.

Mentally cursing, I was about to prod Yoh to sign to him, when a voice spoke, dark and sinister, from the ragged hole in the ceiling.

"He won't," the vampire-esque shaman replied to Milly's question. "As long as I, his master, remain unharmed, that servant shall remain a vampire. However," he added, "due to Hao-sama's orders…"

As he trailed off, numerous of those black spikes shot out and, before they encircled me, they ripped my feather medium from around my neck, cutting off any chance of oversoul with Nix. I heard yells, but as the spikes pulled me away, they touched the mark on my back, and everything else but absolute pain was blocked out of my mind.

When the pain finally subsided, Nix entered my body immediately (I hadn't been aware of him leaving), and I found myself bound by the black spikes in a chair… at the movie theater. I saw _Dracula _playing on the screen, and, oddly, even though I wasn't a moviegoer, my first thought was _I wonder who plays him…?_

I noticed Yoh and the others next, facing off against the vampire-shaman. Yoh, Ren, and Ryu had changed into battle clothes, apparently, and Ryu had combed his hair back into its pompadour, which was a sore sight to see. HoroHoro, who was looking at me worriedly, appeared to have said something, because Ren was speaking.

"Baka Ainu. If Hao has a use for her, this guy won't kill her, like when they wouldn't let her and Yoh attack Ashiru."

The vampire-shaman laughed, and I failed to hold back a slight gasp as the spikes wrapped tighter around me. "You are right, young shaman," he said to Ren, "but I'm sure Hao wouldn't mind a few bruises, as long as she gets to him in one piece."

If I could have, I would have hit this stupid shaman - I didn't care _what _he did to me, so long as someone put him in his place. I squirmed in a feeble attempt to escape, and when that failed, I prepared to swallow any pain that the shaman might try to put me through - for, no matter what he could throw at me, I'd endured worse. But why did _I _have to be the damsel in distress? Ugh, that should be just for the Lily Five.

'_**Where's our feather?' **_I asked Nix as Ryu started to go on about how vampires could be killed by a stake through the heart.

'_**I managed to grab it,' **_Nix replied, _**'but I had to drop it; it's a few seats to our left.'**_

"There's no way he could be a vampire," Ren said smugly, snapping me back to their conversation. "He's just a human. A shaman."

_Like I've been trying to tell you! _I thought as the onscreen Dracula hissed.

"How foolish!" the vampire-fake argued, though he looked unnerved. "Are you calling _me _a human?"

"Really?" HoroHoro asked, turning to Ren.

"Didn't you think it was strange?" Ren asked, and even though we were in this dangerous position, I wanted to yell at him for stealing my thunder (which I had never had, but still). "You guys who were bitten are fine now."

"That's because Lyserg-chan was-" Ryu began.

"That's right," Ren agreed. "It appears that he can only control one person. Heh, you call yourself a vampire? He only controls one body using his spirit."

My eyes caught Lyserg's possessed floating body loom out of the darkness, and panic filled me. "_Ren!_" I cried, for the dowser was just behind him, but my voice squeaked and hardly made more than a whisper of noise.

"In other words, his spirit," Ren went on, whipping around with his oversoul-infused Kwan Dao, "is right here!"

Faster than my eye could follow, Lyserg dodged Ren's attack and grabbed Yoh before jumping back to the vampire-shaman's side. At the sight of the now red-eyed dowser holding Yoh in a headlock, I struggled once again against the spikes that held me down. I even tried to heat my body up with Nix, even though I knew it would do nothing against the oversoul.

"Yoh!" Ren yelled. "What are you thinking? He caught you so easily!"

"Sorry…" Yoh apologized, sounding as if he were in some pain, as an ashy-skinned, pale blond spirit appeared behind them - the spirit that had possessed me!

"That thing was _inside _me!" HoroHoro yelled in disgust, fiddling with his jacket like he couldn't believe the spirit had possessed him.

"My name is Buramuro, a vampire hunter," the spirit introduced himself. "One who serves Boris-sama."

"Vampire hunter?" Ryu repeated. "That's someone who fights vampires, isn't it?"

"So the vampire caught him and turned him into his spirit?" Ren asked.

"Don't say anything unnecessary, Buramuro," Boris warned. "Do it."

Buramuro faded back fully into Lyserg, who roughly tilted Yoh's head to expose his neck. Just as I was about to panic, Nix gave me a mental jab and led my thoughts to my senses, which picked up on something that made me calmer, even though I was still worried.

"Don't move!" Boris called as Ryu, Ren, and HoroHoro rushed forward, causing the trio to pause. "Look."

At least a score of bats suddenly squeaked, and I looked up with my eyes to see them holding deadly spikes aimed toward Ren and the others.

"Oversoul of vampire bats," Ren grunted.

"Do you like them?" Boris asked, jumping into the air, his cape morphing into bat wings to keep him aloft. "The impaling that my ancestor was famous for."

Feeling that I was missing something, I scanned through my knowledge of history: he couldn't mean _Vlad _the Impaler, that guy who stuck thousands of guys on sticks to keep out invaders? I had to push the thought away in order to _not _think about everyone else becoming impaled on giant sticks…

"You ancestor being a vampire was probably a lie as well!" HoroHoro yelled.

"No!" Boris argued. "My ancestor, Vlad Dracula, impaled his enemies and displayed them in order to protect his country, and he was given the name, 'The Impaler.' Not only that - people said his actions weren't that of a human, and spread rumors that he was a vampire. Don't move!" he suddenly added, noticing Ryu turn to Tokagero. "If you three - no, _four_," he amended, "or your spirits move a muscle, those fangs will sink into Yoh-sama's windpipe."

I froze, my eyes wide. Perhaps Boris only wanted to make Yoh a vampire, but Lyserg seemed to have grown nasty-looking fangs that could really… damage Yoh if the dowser bit in the right place.

"So this is our situation," Ren noted, oddly calm. "If we move even a little, Yoh will become a vampire."

"But if we don't move, the spikes will impale us," HoroHoro added.

"If we don't choose either," Ryu said in concern, "we have no choice… but to defeat Lyserg-chan?"

Boris chuckled, but I kept my eyes on the spikes that the bats were holding. "You guys are pathetic beyond belief. You are in a situation where you could save yourselves if you defeat your allies, but because you wouldn't be able to live with yourselves, now you can't make a single move. Such weak humans," he growled, sounding like a complete lunatic. "Because of their weakness, my ancestors were disgraced." There was a sound of a sword being unsheathed, and he added, "That's something I cannot forgive!"

"But you're a human as well," Yoh pointed out calmly, catching both me and Boris off-guard, even though I should expect this from Yoh by now. "I mean, you're with Hao," Yoh went on. "It's more fun to be with friends, right?"

"Are you mocking me?" Boris accused.

"…Yoh…kun…"

Unable to know if my ears were deceiving me or not - they never had before, not when I was merged with Nix - I looked to Lyserg, whose eyes were shaded.

"He sill has the strength to talk?" Boris was aghast.

"Amazing!" HoroHoro breathed. "I couldn't talk."

"You promised," Lyserg choked out, and I immediately knew what he was talking about; if this wasn't such a serious matter, I felt like my face might've fallen in disbelief. "Please… kill me. If you do that…" He lifted his face so that his glowing red eyes were shown to be crying. "Everyone will be saved…"

Boris laughed, a high-pitched sound that made my ears want to protest. "He's right! If you kill him, Yoh-sama will be freed, and you can escape from the Spikes of Death. Now, kill him, Yoh-sama!" Boris urged.

Lyserg managed out a few more words of pleading for Yoh to kill him, and even though this was probably supposed to be a pivotal moment, I felt more annoyed at Lyserg than anything else, though I kept a straight face as I watched. Yoh had a trick up his sleeve in case this failed, I knew.

Yoh suddenly smiled. "No thanks."

My jaw dropped, but I didn't make the same sound as the other's did.

"Y-you refuse?" Lyserg managed, voice strained.

"I won't kill anyone," Yoh vowed.

Boris laughed. "Are you still going to act strong? You weak humans can't do anything!"

"It's okay," Yoh said. "We are strong."

And with that, he lifted his free hand and pushed the back of Lyserg's head so that the dowser's fangs bit into his shoulder.

I could help feeling both scared and proud of Yoh's smarts, but at that moment, Boris yelled, "You think you've saved your friends by doing that?"

He signaled to his bats, who dropped their spikes. Expertly, Ryu's greenish oversoul caught the ones aimed for him, and HoroHoro shattered the rest of them, including the bats, with ice - Ren didn't have to do a thing.

"Damn it," Boris muttered. "Buramuro," he ordered. "Use Yoh-sama's body and kill them all!"

Obediently, Yoh stood up, shoulders sagging, eyes shaded. On Boris's command, he lifted his arms up in a 'frightening' pose and yelled, "Gawrrr!"

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Just kidding."

HoroHoro let out a small laugh, and Ren huffed, although it was easy to see that he was amused.

A few humorous exchanges were made, the mood having been considerably lightened. When the bats had disappeared, so had the tendrils that bound me, and I stood up gratefully, looking around for my feather necklace, finding it where Nix had said it was. I tied it back around my neck, thankful not be defenseless anymore, then hurried over to HoroHoro and the others, letting Nix exit my body.

"How?" Boris asked, stricken. "Did you betray me, Buramuro?"

"You still don't get it?" Ryu asked. "Have you seen the master's spirit lately?"

"Yeah," Yoh agreed, helping Lyserg to stand up. "Amidamaru and I have been merged for some time now. That's how it happened." To help prove his point, the samurai spirit himself appeared, holding Buramuro with his arms so that the vampire hunter couldn't flee.

"You good-for-nothing spirit!" Boris accused, his jaw taut.

"A blood-soaked mantle," Ren noted; he had come close enough to Boris to feel the 'vampire's' cape. "This is your medium," he said as Boris jumped away. "You oversouled the bat spirits with that mantle. You changed the mantle into mist to disappear, and attacked us by creating spikes, and used blood as a medium to transfer Buramuro between bodies. But now you no longer have a spirit. That's just a ragged old cape! Bason!" he called, holding up his Kwan Dao so that Bason's large golden form loomed over Boris.

"I-impossible," Boris stammered. "I'm… going to lose to a human?"

"You're not even a human," Ren growled. "Because you're even weaker." With that, he sent out a volley of golden stabs, and Boris was knocked into the wall with a crash, creating a deep crater.

"That was a bit much, wasn't it?" Yoh asked.

Ren _hmphed_. "It was only natural."

Natural… Yeah, I could go with Ren almost destroying both a person as well as property as being natural.

Lyserg staggered toward Boris. "How dare…"

"Please, wait!" Buramuro pleaded, rushing in front of Boris protectively, his arms spread out.

Confused, I remembered what Buramuro had said to me when he had possessed me. Now that I thought about it, he _had _sounded concerned about me being conscious enough to know what he was making me do. Perhaps Buramuro had more depth than I had originally thought.

"What's wrong?" Amidamaru asked. "Boris has lost his power."

"He's right," Boris choked out, his voice strained. "Go wherever you want."

"No," Buramuro argued. "That's not it." Tears started streaming down his face. "I am… We thought Vlad Dracula was a vampire, and if I annihilated Dracula, I would be called a hero. The ones I chased after were a family in the Vlad clan. However, the man and woman… they didn't turn to dust when they died, and the mother had pushed the boy off the cliff to save him. We murdered a family of humans.

"Vlad and his clan were not vampires," Buramuro went on. "They were just ordinary people. I searched for the boy whose parents I had killed, who risked their lives to protect him. And when I finally found him, he was with Hao. And I gladly became his spirit."

I frowned sadly, taken by Buramuro's story, pity welling in my stomach.

"That can't be," Boris growled, elbowing the damaged wall so that a portion of it crumbled away, and he stumbled through the opening. "I should have paralyzed you with fear."

"Boris!" Yoh called, beginning to walk after the weakened shaman.

Buramuro stood in his way. "Please…"

"We won't do anything to him," Yoh promised.

Buramuro seemed surprised at his words, but before he could say anything, a strangled yell came from where Boris had disappeared to, and, reacting on instinct, I ran with the others through the hole in the wall, which opened up into the main chamber of the church.

Boris was on the floor in the main aisle between the pews. Even before I saw them, though, I knew the X-Laws were there, in all their white-uniformed, gun-heavy glory.

Marco turned to us. "You did well, Yoh-kun. Leave the rest to us." His gun clicked with evil as he pointed it at Boris.

"There is no salvation for those who serve Hao," the light blonde woman said, pointing her gun as well, causing the other members to follow her lead.

"In the name of the Holy Maiden Jeanne, we grant this evil the punishment of death," Marco declared.

"Stop it!" Yoh yelled, somehow managing to get in front of Boris before I realized what was happening, Harusame drawn but not oversouled. "Don't kill him."

I couldn't remember breathing at that point. Maybe it wasn't right to kill Boris, but Yoh…

"Please stop, Yoh-kun!" Lyserg called, running up so that he was on my right side, between me and Ren. "They're right."

"Yeah," Yoh agreed, his voice low. "They are right. But I don't like it. What happened to Ashiru is in the past. I know I can't do anything to change what happened. But what is _about _to happen is different! I listened to Boris's story. I listened to Buramuro's story. They're the same as us. If you still want to kill Boris…" He lifted Harusame so that Amidamaru's bluish oversoul form surrounded it. "I'll stop you."

"I don't understand," Marco replied, sounding puzzled but not too concerned. "He is an evil being that serves Hao. And you have already witnessed our strength. What need is there to place yourself in danger to protect him? Is it because you're a descendant of Hao?"

"I'm not on either side," Yoh answered. "I just happened to listen to Boris's story."

"Not on either side?" Marco repeated. "That's a vague answer."

"He's right," Lyserg whispered, and I resisted the urge to hit him so that he would stay quiet.

"In this world," Marco continued, "there is good and there is evil. In any day and age, the one who defeats evil is good. If you can't clearly distinguish yourself between the two, you will never become the Shaman King."

I glanced past Lyserg at Ren, but the Tao showed no emotion on his face, if he had made the connection from what the X-Laws were saying to how he had thought of the world just a while ago.

"I'm stopping you because I don't like what you're doing," Yoh answered, his voice snapping me back to the present. "How can there be anything more evil than killing?"

"Are you calling us evil?" the pale blonde asked.

As I watched, Boris struggled to his feet and began to feebly limp away, the woman letting out a cry to alert her teammates.

"Kill him," Marco ordered. "We have the right to do so."

"I said don't kill him!" Yoh yelled. His voice took on a dark quality. "If you kill people because they're in your way, then you're no different than Hao!"

My eyes widened, the involuntary thought of _He's dead_ running through my mind.

"Damn you!" Marco yelled, taken aback as if the insult were worse even than calling his mother something nasty. "Are you trying to mock us? _Archangels Fire!"_

At least seven different mechanical angel oversouls appeared, and the level of furyoku in the air made me freeze as the lead angel extended its blade. I was aware of Lyserg saying something in awe, and the others rushing forward as if they could get Yoh out of the way in time, but what I was most aware of next was of the lead angel's blade sticking straight through Boris's chest - not Yoh's.

He and Yoh exchanged one or two words before Boris simply vanished, but I didn't hear it. Numbly, I took a few steps forward as the archangels disappeared. Boris… Boris really wasn't supposed to mean anything to me, and he didn't, really - there would come a time when he'd just be a blur in my memory of shamans. But he had shielded Yoh, and if the X-Laws had killed him… Well, the only thing that I would be sure of was that I would've hated the X-Laws for all eternity, and I would never give them my aid if one of them managed to become Shaman King.

"He protected the descendant of Hao, eh?" Marco said, pulling me back to what was happening, although his voice still sounded muffled in my ears.

Yoh stood. "You still don't get it?" Even his scream didn't sound as loud as it should have been. "Boris was neither good nor evil!"

"If you want things to go according to your ideals, I suggest that you seek power," Marco advised as he and the other X-Laws walked past Yoh towards the door, although he stopped. "We'll give you one last chance. If you come with us, you will be able to obtain enormous power."

With that, he kept walking.

"Like hell I would," HoroHoro muttered vehemently.

Lyserg walked past me between the pews and followed the X-Laws. Ryu called out and ran after him, but I just stared, silently listening.

Lyserg suddenly stopped, and he looked down as if someone had grabbed his leg.

"What happened to them?" Ryu asked, stopping short at a sight of people I couldn't see; trying to focus better, I used my senses, identifying the auras of the Lily Five.

"They tried to stop us," the blonde woman explained.

"Look, Lyserg," Ryu began. "They even raised their weapons against a little girl like her! How can you-"

"That's because they were weak," Lyserg answer, pulling roughly away from who I assumed was Milly.

The dowser stopped just before he came to the threshold of the church doors. "I'm also weak. That's why I want much stronger allies in order to defeat Hao. Yoh-kun… you're kind. That's why you didn't kill me. But that's something only the strong can do. I'm not strong. That's why I can't be kind like you."

"I'm not strong…," Yoh said, but I didn't turn to look at him.

"I can no longer believe in you," Lyserg finished, walking out of the church after the X-Laws.

Ryu called after him, but right now, I couldn't give anything about Lyserg or Boris. All I could think about was how Yoh could have died.

()()()()()()()()

"Well then, I'll take my leave now," Buramuro said as we stood in the small graveyard outside the church. "There's someone waiting for me in hell."

"Give my regards to Boris," Yoh requested, sounding calm, as if nothing had just happened.

"I will," Buramuro promised as he sunk into the ground. "Thank you."

The Lily Five stood across from us, looking battered. A cold wind blew, and Milly whispered Lyserg's name.

There was a small moment of silence, and then Yoh suggested, "Well, shall we get going?"

Without another word, the calm shaman turned and walked towards the exit of the graveyard, Ren and HoroHoro following him before I continued along beside the Ainu, Ryu trailing us.

Another chilly wind blew, and I crossed my arms in attempt to ward off the cold. The sunlight glinted off my Oracle Bell, reminding me of the email that Silva had sent me just a little while ago, after Lyserg left.

Basically, it had just been one long speech about how they were worried about me and wanting me to leave Yoh and the others. I had read through the entire thing twice and memorized it before deleting it. I only accepted orders from one being, and Goldva wasn't it.


	37. Chocolove

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King, I only own my respective characters that I came up with.**

_My Borders stocks SK! So now I have volumes 1 and 4. XD _

_I love Chocolove as much as the next person, but seriously, his jokes are a pain in the ass to convey from Jap to English, so most will be just "Chocolove made a pun and got stabbed in the nose" or something. Btw, in this chapter, he delivers THE BEST JOKE EVER to Ren. Hehehehhehe. I think I took a screenshot of it when I was watching, but I'm too lazy to look it up._

_LYSERG'S GONE! I think I'll miss his body (er... 'cause he's green... I like green... but not as much as purple and blue... and orange headphones...) & dowsing a bit, but not his obsessiveness._

_First half of the chapter is entertaining to me. The second, not so much. Hao's minions just always have to come and be all evil-minion-y._

_HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Chocolates and Chocoloves to you all!_

**Thirty-Seven: Chocolove**

"Thank you!" Yoh called, waving after the eighteen-wheeler that had just dropped us off. "You really saved us."

"How long are you going to cry like that?" Ren asked in disgust to Ryu, who was _still _slumped over after the whole Lyserg-fiasco. I for one couldn't give a crap about the dowser anymore - I neither liked him nor hated him… Okay, so maybe I leaned toward the latter option a little, but still.

"But Lyserg!" Ryu cried, suddenly wrapping his arms around Ren as if he'd never received comfort before (and he certainly wasn't going to get any from _Ren_).

"Let go of me!" Ren snapped, struggling to push Ryu off. "You're being annoying!"

HoroHoro's voice caught my attention, sounding more serious than usual. "We've been depending on Lyserg's dowsing to get this far. If we have to travel without him from now on…"

_Just ask me, _I thought in a deadpan. At this, I had to physically shake my head a bit. I hated being so cynical - I was starting to sound like Ren in my mind. Besides, I had originally wanted to spend as much good time as I could with Yoh and the others - I couldn't be a party pooper on myself.

"Oi," Yoh called, catching my and HoroHoro's attention. "This Yonta-Fe town is pretty big, don't you think?" he asked cheerfully.

"Slacker," HoroHoro muttered. "I was acting serious for a change and you just had to ruin it!"

There was a little bit more arguing, but eventually, we were walking down the street (Ren having finally been freed from Ryu's grip), pretty slowly to accommodate for Ryu's feet-dragging pace.

"So," Ren asked Yoh, "what do you plan on doing now?"

"Yeah," HoroHoro agreed. "We won't get anywhere by walking aimlessly. Where are you planning on going?"

I felt a pang of guilt. I could easily tell them where Patch Village was, what with that little tug in my feet leading me towards home (ironically, we were heading in the exact opposite direction), but that would be breaking my rules, and no matter what, my debt had to come before my friends.

Yoh crossed his arms and seemed to think carefully for a moment before he cheerfully replied, "Let's think while we eat!"

"That's not the point here!" HoroHoro and Ren yelled in unison; their banter could do nothing but lift my mood, and I gave a small smile.

"Why are you so easygoing?" Ren asked, annoyed.

"Will you be serious for once?" HoroHoro added while I noticed Ryu swaying a little bit. However, that wasn't the only thing I noticed.

"Hey, you guys," said a shaman as he suddenly slipped up. He was black with an afro and wore some African tribal-looking clothes, and I realized that I recognized him from the preliminary matches, though his name escaped me (while his oversoul form had impressed me, if I remembered right, he had been filed as just another shaman I'd see in my endless cycle of lives). He also had a rather bulbous nose.

"You look like a cheerful group," he went on, "but will you be able to maintain that mood?"

There was a moment of silence.

"So, what should we eat?" Yoh asked as we, as a group, started walking again, completely ignoring the black shaman.

"Let's make it Chinese food," Ren suggested.

"Chinese food again?" HoroHoro asked, echoing my thoughts.

"Lyserg…" Ryu moaned.

There was a moment or two of silence before, from behind us now, the boy yelled, "Hey, are you ignoring me? I'm telling you guys for you own good! Hey, damn it! Are you listening to me?"

"Shut up!" Ryu shot back, stopping to look at the boy. "I'm depressed right now!"

"I have no business with you," Ren added in a growl.

"I'm tired of Chinese food already!" HoroHoro said darkly.

I said nor signed nothing; I didn't even turn around.

"You guys don't get it, do you?" the boy yelled. "Group! The most important thing is a group!"

We all stopped in unison and turned around, and though I knew what the boy was talking about, the others obviously didn't when Yoh asked, "Group?"

"Crepe," the boy replied, someone pulling out a crepe and holding it, saying the word almost like you would pronounce _group._

I chuckled a little at the comical form that he had taken (a typical Japanese schoolgirl uniform, by the way), but I understood how we couldn't really be bothered by him, and I turned and followed the others.

"You're ignoring me again?" the boy screeched.

I looked around, and faster than I could blink, Ren had his Kwan Dao pulled out and pointed straight at the boy's nose, who had fallen to the ground in fright.

"If you have business, make it short," Ren warned. "If you joke around even a little, I'll cut you."

Oh, there was the Ren we all knew and loved, threatening absolute strangers. I could already tell (and there was no sarcasm in this thought) that this day was going to be pretty entertaining, perfect for getting my thoughts off of the pressing matters.

"Okay," the boy promised, sounding understandably nervous. "I won't joke around. I'm looking for allies right now."

"Allies?" Ren repeated quietly.

"Don't you know?" the boy asked. "There aren't many shamans who are by themselves now. Everyone is acting as a group. Like those big groups of Hao's and the X-Laws."

"X-Laws…" I could tell what Yoh was thinking when I heard his mutter.

The boy gave a chuckle as he heard this as well. "It'll be easier to explain since you know of them. In other words, you should increase your allies and strengthen your forces."

"What's you name?" Ren asked.

Though he seemed unsettled at being at the receiving end of Ren's Kwan Dao, the boy replied, "Chocolove."

Ren poked the boy in the nose with his weapon (rather lightly, in Ren's standards).

Chocolove screeched as he jumped up, holding his slightly bleeding nose. "What did you do that for?"

"Was that your real name?" Ren asked calmly.

"Of course it is!" Chocolove yelled. "Look," he went on, "my name is_ Chocolove_," he went on with a flourish. "You pronounce the 'v' by…"

His voice faded away slightly as HoroHoro prodded me and we all began to walk away again.

"Hey!" Chocolove yelled. "Listen to me, damn it!"

Oh, this boy was amusing, I had to admit as he stood in front of us again, although he was turned away from us with his arms crossed. He was a bit loud, but so was HoroHoro - I wasn't the decision-maker of the group (for obvious reasons other than the fact that Yoh held that position), but if it were up to me, I think I'd sign him up in a heartbeat, so long as he didn't become another Lyserg.

"So, basically," HoroHoro summed up, "you're alone right now?"

"Yeah," Chocolove admitted.

"You want to join us because you'll be targeted if you remain by yourself?" Ryu clarified.

"That's not quite right," Chocolove answered, voice a bit strained, "but something like that."

"What do you mean?" Ren asked. "You should have said it sooner."

Chocolove suddenly turned around, flailing. "I'm saying that I'll be a great asset to your group if you make me your ally!"

Ren placed a hand on his hip in his usual egotistical air. "Hmph. I don't believe you."

Chocolove got a strange look on his face and repeated the words, as if Ren's Japanese had made an odd pun, and he suddenly smirked.

He jumped, an in the next instant, he was not only holding a blonde wig in front of Ren, but also a very blue, very _feminine _dress. "Cinderella Ren!"

Ren's tongari twitched, and two seconds later, Chocolove was a beaten pulp on the ground.

"What good will your useless jokes do?" Ren screeched.

"Don't underestimate jokes," Chocolove managed. "Laughing is very important, you know."

I couldn't help it - I snorted, which turned into very scratchy, voiceless laughter. Holy crap, that had been _hilarious _- not the joke itself, but the way Ren had looked and reacted.

Ren turned to me, an angry flush on his face. "What the hell was funny about _that_?"

Still chuckling, I signed back, my hands a bit shaky from the amusement still bubbling inside me. _'You just looked so…' _I struggled for the right word._ '…weird.'_

Ren was taken aback, his face now almost as flush as a tomato. "Excuse me?" he asked, as if he thought he hadn't understood me well, which I was sure he had.

Yoh laughed as well. "This guy is really funny!"

"He is?" HoroHoro and Ryu asked as Ren's face returned to its regular shade as he turned back to Chocolove on the ground.

"But," Yoh went on, "I'm surprised that you knew Ren's name."

I blinked, realizing that I hadn't caught that.

Chocolove stood up. "That's because information is my weapon." His spirit, a jaguar, suddenly appeared beside him as he looked back at us. "This is my spirit, Mic of Jaguar," he introduced. "On top of being very fast, he's got a good nose." He held up a yellow notebook. "I've already done research on you guys as well. Asakura Yoh, Tao Ren, Ryu, Tori, and BoroBoro."

"That's _HoroHoro_, you bastard!" the Ainu shot back, looking like he wanted nothing more than to strangle Chocolove.

"Oh, is that right?" Chocolove asked, making a note of it in his book. "'HoroHoro…' Hey, wasn't there another person with you guys?"

Everyone looked downwards as they remembered, though I crossed my arms. I hadn't grown attached to Lyserg like I had the others, and I _would _never get attached to him. I understood how the others had thought he had betrayed them (well, maybe I didn't…), but the only thing I had really liked about him was the fact that he could lead the others toward Patch Village without me feeling all that guilty.

"Lyserg…!" Ryu moaned.

Chocolove smirked. "If he's gone, shouldn't that be another reason to take me in? I really will be great use to you guys."

"Then let me ask you," Ren began. "Why is a useful guy like yourself alone?"

Chocolove didn't answer.

"I know why." HoroHoro smirked. "You probably pulled some stupid jokes and got kicked out of your old group, huh?"

Chocolove tensed.

"Since you had no other place to go, you set your eyes on us, didn't you?" Ryu asked, on the verge of crying once again over Lyserg.

Sweat poured down Chocolove's face.

"But he doesn't seem to be a bad person," Yoh vouched cheerfully.

Chocolove looked to Yoh as if he were a god, but before he could say anything, Yoh went on, "I don't care if your jokes aren't funny."

Chocolove's jaw dropped.

Ren huffed. "It doesn't matter, even if this guy's jokes were funny. If you're going to take someone in, he has to be useful."

"Yeah," HoroHoro agreed. "He doesn't seem to be strong, either."

I frowned - what jerks they were being - but I had to agree, we couldn't take in some useless random idiot (not that I was calling Chocolove that). Although, Chocolove did seem to be entertaining. I'd vote him in.

"You bastards!" Chocolove hissed, his jaguar spirit raising its hackles.

There was a sudden sound of glass being broken and yells ringing out, and, startled, I turned to see a couple of men walking angrily out of a place called 'Bill's Bar.' One of them cracked his knuckles.

Chocolove huffed. "I'll show you my real strength. Let's go, Mic."

In the blink of an eye, Chocolove was between the two men, holding up his hands dramatically for peace. "Hold the fight right there! Let's stop fighting and be happy with my jokes!"

"Stay out of this, you brat!" one of the men sneered.

"_Totto to Kiero_," the other hissed. "Hurry up and get lost!"

Chocolove's eyes flashed. "_Otto to Pierrot_!" he cried, defying the laws of physics like this was some sort of anime or something and becoming a clown balancing on a ball. "Wobbly Pierrot!"

For about three seconds, all anyone did was stare at him - although, I kind of wanted to laugh, more at the terrible quality of the joke than anything else.

When those three seconds were over, it took about two for the two men to pulverize Chocolove into the ground, and then to go off on their merry way, their aggression against each other gone. At least he had managed to stop them from fighting each other.

"He's weak after all," HoroHoro sighed.

"He's useless," Ren agreed.

"What was he trying to do?" Ryu asked.

"I don't know," Yoh admitted.

Once again, I couldn't help it - I let out a small laugh, trying to muffle it behind my hand, and the others looked at me oddly.

"You… You really don't think he's funny, do you?" HoroHoro asked incredulously.

I shook my head, unable to figure out in words how to explain that seeing Chocolove get beat up was just hilarious. _'His jokes aren't funny, but the reactions he gets are.' _I thought of 'Cinderella Ren' and almost cracked up again. If I had had a camera…

()()()()()()()

Chocolove had passed, out, so Ryu and HoroHoro had carried him to a bench in the park while Yoh, Ren, and I went to grab food for everyone. As we waited for the so-called 'comedian' to wake up, I sat beside HoroHoro as we ate our hamburgers, and I wondered what the others would decide to do with him, because I certainly wouldn't make the decision.

"Looks like you're awake," Yoh noted as Chocolove gave a start.

Chocolove sat up in confusion. "You guys…"

"For the record," HoroHoro informed through a mouthful of food, "we didn't make you our ally."

"We couldn't leave you like that," Ryu added. "So…"

I took another bite of hamburger as Yoh said, "Can I ask you a question?"

Chocolove looked to Yoh, but he didn't say no.

"Why are you participating in the Shaman Fight?"

Chocolove looked away, and I wondered if it was in self-consciousness. "To become the world's greatest comedian," he replied.

At once, HoroHoro, Ryu, and Ren spat out their food and came threateningly close to Chocolove and hurled insults at his dream. I frowned; the answer _was _a bit… out there, but still.

"You're going to become the Shaman King to be a comedian?" Yoh asked in confusion.

Chocolove looked away with his eyes again, though I think I caught a blush on his cheeks. "I want to blow the wind of laughter…"

"Wind of laughter?" Yoh echoed my thoughts.

Chocolove turned and jumped onto the top of a pole and looked out towards the mountains, a small breeze ruffling his clothes. "I want to blow the wind of laughter all over the world."

Laughter… That dream was actually pretty considerate. After all, laughter was supposed-

I stiffened.

Yoh laughed. "That might be good, too."

"Is it?" Ren, HoroHoro, and Ryu asked in unison.

There was a sudden sound of a guitar chord being struck, but I had been expecting it. The others were startled, and we all turned to see two people who instantly made me want to steal Yoh's headphones for myself so I wouldn't have to hear them.

Zenryo. Or Zen and Ryo, those two wannabe rocker shamans who worked for Hao. But I could feel another shaman in the area…

"Music to the world!" they cried.

"Who are you guys?" Ren growled, and I remembered that we were on the road to his house when we had met Zenryo, and the Tao had obviously not been with us.

Chocolove jumped down beside him and told him who they were, adding, "Their abilities aren't that great."

"We know a lot about them," HoroHoro agreed beside me, his arms crossed.

"We already know them," Yoh added.

Chocolove turned back and blinked. "Really?" he asked, taken aback.

One of the men - I honestly couldn't remember which one was Zen and which one was Ryo - huffed self-satisfactorily. "Our abilities are much different from last time!"

"Would you like to listen to our new song?" the other asked.

Ren pulled out his Kwan Dao. "Since I've been annoyed by some useless jokes…" In an instant, he had it oversouled and pointing at Zenryo. "I'll be your opponent!"

"_Chimi Chimimouryo Remix!" _Zen and Ryo cried out, sending out the little demons at Ren accompanied by a guitar solo or something.

"You're too noisy, stupid western music!" Ren yelled as he slashed, sending Zenryo and their puny chimimouryo flying backward to land on the ground.

Ren let out a _"Hmph.."_

"New song my ass," HoroHoro said, almost in a deadpan.

Zen and Ryo struggled to their feet, and I instantly knew something was up, and my eyes narrowed as I focused my senses, pinpointing the location of the third shaman as being hidden by furyoku a bit behind Zenryo. I balled my hand into a fist and Nix appeared in his spirit ball form beside it, ready to oversoul at a moment's notice. Zenryo was being possessed.

"I guess the tempo was a bit off…," one of the band members managed, both of them trembling as the other said, "Once more…"

They sent out another wave of chimimouryo and music, and Ren growled "I don't listen to the same song twice!" before he sent them all flying back again.

The Tao straightened up again. "These guys aren't worth fighting." He began to turn away when he noticed what I'd noticed before: that Zenryo kept getting up.

The two were breathing hard, muttering to each other about "Upping the tempo."

"They shouldn't be this tough!" Chocolove exclaimed.

"Isn't it a little strange?" Amidamaru asked, appearing.

_Just a little, _I thought as I oversouled Nix just in case.

Ren pulled up his Kwan Dao, but Yoh, almost panicky, pleaded, "Don't attack them! If you hurt them any more, they'll die!"

"But look!" Ren said, but I was already looking at the cacti-like oversouls that appeared at Zen and Ryo's arms.

"What are they?" HoroHoro asked. "They didn't have that kind of oversoul last time."

Zenryo jumped high into the air, shooting down now-spiky chimimouryo, which I had to duck down behind my wings to avoid the bulk of them - they stung like _hell_.

"You bastards!" Ren growled once the dust had settled and I looked out from behind my wings. "If you intent to keep fighting us, prepare yourselves!"

"S-stop it, Ren!" Yoh pleaded again.

"Then what are we going to do?" Ren asked harshly. Unable to see his face, I could almost _hear _his eyes narrowing. "I have no intention of losing in a place like this. I will crush anyone who gets in my way with full force, even if they die!"

I felt my insides freeze as I realized that Ren, while he had changed, hadn't changed _completely._ I didn't know what I had been expecting, and I had known in reality that the Tao was still harsh to say the least, but to hear those words was like a slap in the face- Oh, great. That choice of words made me feel guilty for slapping him. Again.

Suddenly angry with myself, I pushed away my nearly overwhelming feelings and focused on the task at hand to realize that Chocolove's entire body was glowing with oversoul, black jaguar-marks having appeared on his body.

"Hold it right there, you guys," he said, his voice low, eyes glowing. "Why are you having a conversation without me? Leave this to me." He glared at Zenryo. "I am the Black Jaguar."

"Black… Jaguar?" Yoh repeated after an incredulous, silent moment.

"I was given Mic from my master," Chocolove explained. "My master, who was both a shaman and a comedian." He closed his eyes, seeming to think. "I am the Black Jaguar. My nose will find everything! My eyes will see everything! These feet will catch everything!" he called as he suddenly shot forward with incredible speed and jumped into the air. "And my claws will tear everything!"

He fell past Zenryo and slashed at normal people would see as empty air, and with the incredible sound of splintering wood, Chocolove revealed a shaman with a guitar in his hands and a sombrero on his head.

"_Eres correcto!" _the man congratulated in Spanish.

"Who is that guy?" HoroHoro asked in surprise.

Chocolove landed a good distance away from the sombrero-shaman, who I vaguely recognized from the preliminaries. "He is also with Hao," Chocolove explained. "I think his name was Peyote."

"_Eres correcto!" _Peyote repeated in agreement before clarifying in Japanese, "You are correct."

"They were oversouls," Ren said.

"What do you mean?" Ryu asked in confusion.

"Don't you understand?" Ren continued, not tearing his eyes away from the enemy for a moment, and I knew exactly what he was saying. "He was manipulating those two. He used oversoul on them using their bodies as mediums."

"Then those two…," Yoh began in shock.

"Yeah," Ren agreed. "They lost consciousness long ago."

"_Eres correcto," _Peyote agreed once more as shivers went up my spine. "Let me introduce you to each other," he went on as the two oversouls surrounding Zen and Ryo revealed themselves as two men in large sombreros. "They are my spirits, Carlos and Juan. They were my friends and famous mariachi players."

With that, the two spirits smirked, and before I could tell what was going on, they had swatted Chocolove away, causing the comedian to land on his back.

"They weren't famous for their musical talent," Peyote amended, "but for their quick hands."

"Bastard!" Chocolove growled, standing up. "What you're doing isn't funny! How can you use your wounded allies to oversoul?"

Peyote let out a huff. "Do it."

Immediately, more chimimouryo spikes shot out at Chocolove, and, to my amazement, he jumped into the air and dodged them, straight through the attack, appearing behind Peyote.

"Evading their attacks and directly attacking me, the one who's controlling them?" Peyote asked, turning his head back. "You're too naïve."

I couldn't see exactly what he did from this angle, but something appeared to have been hiding under Peyote's face scarf that punched Chocolove away so that the comedian landed on the ground once again.

"He was their leader, Antonio," Peyote explained as a little skull doll oversoul - like something from that Mexican holiday, the Day of the Dead - came up onto his shoulder. More skull-like dolls fell from his poncho onto the ground. "Jose, Pancho, Sapada, Miguel. They're all mariachi friends who died because of a stupid fight."

"Those are a lot," Ryu noted in surprise.

"They're Caravella dolls," Ren explained. "'Skeleton dolls.' Peyote uses bones as his medium."

Peyote's Caravella dolls glowed green with oversoul as he struck a chord on his acoustic guitar. "Indeed! When the spirits hear my guitar, even they will start dancing. They are here to protect me. They are here to eliminate the enemy."

"What do you think Zen and Ryo _are_?" Yoh asked, and I had a feeling that I felt as repulsed as he did.

"Tools, of course," Peyote replied. "From the start they were bones wearing flesh armor to be used as mediums for my oversoul."

"They aren't just bones!" Yoh yelled back. "They're human beings made of flesh and blood!"

Peyote huffed and his voice lowered slightly. "To be able to come close to Hao-sama is more than enough for guys like these."

"You bastard," Chocolove accused. "They were just trying to make others listen to their music, just like my jokes!"

"Jokes?" Peyote asked in a scoff. "What are they?"

"The wind of laughter that will save the world!" Chocolove declared.

"The one who will save the world is Hao-sama!" Peyote shot back as his oversouls forced Zen and Ryo to jump at Chocolove, their spiky chimimouryo shooting at Chocolove, who just held up his arms in defense.

"What are you doing?" Ren yelled. "Hurry up and finish them off!"

"Shut up!" Chocolove called back, still holding up his arms in front of his face. "Power can't save everything!"

Startled and concerned, I watched as Chocolove suddenly let out a large release of furyoku, his body causing a glow that went ten feet up into the air.

"I'll show you!" he declared. "My ultimate ability using all of my furyoku! _Oversoul! Ayers Rock!"_

I blinked in confusion as Chocolove summoned his furyoku to shape into a large rock-like formation. Vaguely, I remember Ayers Rock as being that place in Australia that was the largest rock in the world. Earth's Navel, it was also called. But why would Chocolove want to form a rock…?

"Look!" Yoh called. "The belly button of Chocolove is mimicking Earth's Navel!"

Startled, I squinted my eyes, and with Nix aiding my vision, I also saw a small stuffed animal next to Chocolove's outie-bellybutton.

"The kangaroo is handmade," he boasted.

My mouth fell open and my brow scrunched up. What was supposed to be funny about this?

Peyote huffed. "I was wondering what you were going to do, but it turns out to be some stupid joke. Get him," he commanded to Carlos and Juan and the other spirits.

However, instead of following his command, Carlos and Juan began to laugh hysterically, and if it was possible, I felt even more awkward.

"What are you laughing at?" Peyote demanded. "Restrain yourselves from laughing at such a stupid joke!" He noticed his smaller oversouls laughing as well. "How can they laugh when they're under the control of my furyoku?"

"I blew them away," Chocolove explained. His oversoul broke and he landed on the ground, gasping. "The wind of laughter will release spirits who are haunted by evil. I'll leave the rest… to you guys…," he finished.

With a yell, HoroHoro and Ryu, who must've been waiting for their chance, rushed at Peyote and his spirits, striking them and sending them flying off into the sky.

()()()()()()()

We stood around the unconscious Chocolove, who HoroHoro and Ryu had dumped once again on a park bench. With the enemy gone, we had all relaxed and deactivated our oversouls.

"I don't mind if he wants to join us," Yoh said, "but how about it?"

"So there will be three jokers?" Ren asked.

There was a small moment of silence before HoroHoro and Ryu exclaimed in unison, "_Who are you calling a joker?"_

"You guys are a joke, right?" Ren asked, and the three of them began arguing once again.

I blinked, sensing a spirit nearby, and I looked up to see an old man looking at Chocolove with kind eyes before he disappeared completely.

"Hey, Tori," Yoh said, and I turned to him. "You want Chocolove to come with us?" he asked.

I shrugged.

()()()()()()()

"All right!" Chocolove declared later once he had woken up and we had told him that he could come with us. "Everyone follow me!"

"Why did it turn out like this?" Ren asked grumpily as we followed Chocolove down the street as the comedian marched happily and importantly.

"How should I know?" Ryu replied.

"Hey," Yoh called to Chocolove. "Where are we going?"

Chocolove turned around, grinning as he held up his little yellow notebook. "Isn't it obvious? We're going to Patch Village.

I blinked in surprise. If Chocolove knew how to get there, then… Well, the comedian was quite the replacement for Lyserg, wasn't he?

"You know where it is?" Yoh asked excitedly.

"The location of Patch Village is great information!" HoroHoro added.

"Which way is it?" Ryu said.

"The Patch Village… That Patch Village is…" Chocolove suddenly looked around. "Pachi?" he punned, for the word meant 'Which way.'

There was a moment of awkward silence.

HoroHoro and Ryu suddenly started yelling at Chocolove and began to chase him while Ren and Yoh turned around as if they couldn't bear to look at the situation.

"What do you intend to do about this?" Ren asked, his arms crossed and a vein pulsing in his head.

"It's my fault," Yoh cried.

"Wait, wait!" Chocolove called, and I couldn't help but look at him as he held his hands out to Ryu and HoroHoro. "A person named Lilirara who lives in this town knows where Patch Village is. It's true!"

"You're serious, right?" Ryu asked.

Chocolove made another pun, and suddenly everyone was chasing him in circles, even Ren and Yoh. I just stood there watching them, a hand on my temple but a small smile on my lips.


	38. Lilirara

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King.**

_I rewrote Lilirara's stuff a little bit to benefit the story. Not too much is changed, but I didn't wanna make the 5 Seminoa warriors into 6 or something, but I still wanted to get the experience across. :P_

_Soooooo uber happy, I just got back from seeing _I Am Number Four. _Epic book and epic movie! *squeals* XD_

_Lilirara. What a weird name - but then again, Chocolove kinda is too. And BoroBoro XD Never really paid her any mind, but I think I remember what happens to her in the manga... Poor lady._

_Gotta go, see y'all next week :D I'll have more time to write (hopefully) since it's vacation! But then again, I'm getting my teeth pulled... Oh well._

**Thirty-Eight: Lilirara**

"Seminoa?" Yoh breathed.

"Hold on a sec," HoroHoro said to Chocolove, his arms crossed. "What we have to find is Patch Village. Not the people of the Seminoa."

"Even if the warriors of the Seminoa participated in the Shaman Fight five hundred years ago?" Chocolove asked smugly.

Seminoa… I could just remember watching the Seminoa shamans in the first preliminary five hundred years ago. They had been strong, very strong, but I couldn't remember seeing them at Patch Village. I wondered…

_Oh, _I thought, fire flickering behind my eyes. _It was him._

"What did you say?" Ryu asked Chocolove.

"That's right," Chocolove replied. "I heard that there was a legend left behind from that time. In other words, the legend of Patch Village."

"That's great!" HoroHoro exclaimed.

"Figure skate!" Chocolove punned. Immediately, he was just a lump of bruises on the ground that muttered, "At least be a little thankful for my information…"

"Thanks for the information," Ren said, though I didn't hear any sort of thankfulness in his voice.

"Stop it with those stupid jokes already!" HoroHoro yelled, holding up a fist.

Yoh laughed, but before anyone could say anything, a scream came from behind me, and I looked to see all five of the Lily Five running down the street in panic, yelling something along the lines of "I'm sorry!" Before too long, they disappeared around a corner.

"What was _that _about?" HoroHoro asked in confusion.

"Do you know them?" Chocolove asked, his voice shaky and thick. I looked back at him to see that his nose was bleeding, and he had a swollen lip as well as a black eye. "It looked like they came from the direction of Lilirara's house."

"Lilirara?" Yoh repeated.

"Yeah," Chocolove agreed. "She's a descendant of the Seminoa."

Chocolove then began to lead us to Lilirara's house. I had heard of Lilirara - after all, the Seminoa _were_ another Native American tribe like the Patch - and I had heard rumors that she was the keeper of the Seminoa shamans' memories, a job that was passed down among the tribe's descendants. Beyond that, though, I didn't have too much of a clue. However, as we neared her house (which was rather grey and overlarge for just one person), I could feel several spirits in the air, and my skin tingled in dark forewarning.

"Is this the place?" Ren asked quietly.

"Yeah," Chocolove agreed, his face having returned to its normal appearance.

"It has a strange atmosphere," HoroHoro noted, his arms crossed.

"It's really gloomy," Ryu added.

_Yeah, _I thought pessimistically. _Gloomy._

"Hello!" Yoh called, banging on the door with the knocker.

"He's so easygoing," the others chorused in defeat.

"Is anyone here?" Yoh called. When there was no answer (but I could _feel _that someone was in there), he turned his head back to us, his hand still on the knocker. "Looks like no one's home."

His balance suddenly shifted, and as he caught himself on the double doors, they creaked open, revealing a dark room lit by a single candle. A woman was just barely visible inside as she sat on what appeared to be a bed, holding a staff. Dark shapes hung from the rafters, and I could sense at least five spirits in the room.

The woman stood, and I could just barely make out her tanned skin, the tattoo on her face, and the candlelit shine of what appeared to be greasy hair. "Oh," she said, her voice not in a monotone but also not at all cheery, "participants of the Shaman Fight. Return to your homelands immediately."

"Homeland?" Yoh repeated.

"To Funbari Hill?" Ryu asked.

"To Hokkaido?" HoroHoro pondered.

"To New York?" said Chocolove.

Immediately, the latter three turned and began walking out the door, and, I'll admit it, I followed them.

"You guys are _actually _going to leave because she told you to?" Ren thundered. "You clowns!"

"Where should I go?" Yoh asked, and I heard his footsteps behind me. "Izumo? Funbari Hill?"

"Now five…" I heard Ren breathe.

As one, Yoh and the others turned around, and I had to stop short to follow their lead (damn them and their lack of fear of this woman; I had a terrible, terrible feeling about this). I ended up standing between HoroHoro and Yoh, in front of Ren and Ryu, while Chocolove was on Yoh's other side.

"Actually," Yoh began, "how did you know that we're shamans?"

"I am Lilirara," the woman explained. "A medicine woman who passes down the legends of the Seminoa. What good would I be if I couldn't even see that?"

I fought the urge to blink, hoping to the King of Spirits that Lilirara didn't have the ability to see at least part of who I really was.

"Medicine woman?" HoroHoro repeated.

"They're spiritual leaders who have lived on this continent since ancient times," Ren clarified. "She's also a shaman."

"Oh, you who have been invited by the Patch and are participating in the Shaman Fight," Lilirara went on. "You must not trust them."

The sudden need to defend my kin rose up inside me, but I forced myself to stay still. After all, I didn't _look _Patch, and if I started jumping to their defense - either through signing or telepathy or speech through Nix - well, that would raise some questions.

"Why?" Ren asked.

"Because they are trying to repeat the same mistake," said Lilirara.

"Mistake?" Yoh echoed.

Lilirara stared at us. "The Shaman Fight five hundred years ago ended in tragedy because of them. And yet, they are trying to hold another one. They can't be sane."

_Liar, _I thought, my fist tightening. _It was all Hao, not the Patch._

"What happened in that tragedy?" Yoh asked.

Lilirara held out her staff, her voice strengthening. "If you want to know, it is my duty to tell you. That is why I was given the memories of the tribe. However," she said, "there are six of you, so turns will have to be taken, if it is your wish. Are your bodies ready to experience the tragedy from five hundred years ago?"

"What do you mean by 'ready'?" HoroHoro exclaimed. "And 'turns'?"

I stiffened, realizing what Lilirara was about to do. I would have turned and ran away if her eyes hadn't started to… swirl. "I am the medicine woman of the Seminoa," she said as her eyes connected with mine. "One who obeys the laws of the past. I will allow you to taste the tragedy of five hundred years ago just as it was. The pain, the grief, just as it was!"

"What's she going on about?" HoroHoro asked.

"I hate pain," Chocolove squeaked.

Eyes glowed on the dark figures on the rafters, revealing themselves to be tribal dolls, five in all, but I could look nowhere but Lilirara's eyes.

"Try it yourselves!" Lilirara said. "Because of numbers, one of you will go first."

The five dolls were suddenly rushing about, and I heard the others scream in pain before a spirit overtook me.

()()()()()()()()

Immediately, I threw a mental blanket over my memories, like I had done with Buramuro.

"…_memory of the suffering that the warriors of the Seminoa received in the last Shaman Fight," _I heard Lilirara say. Blackness was all around me, and I was floating in it, but I could also feel myself lying on a floor, like I was in two places at once. _"You felt what they experienced through a vision."_

"_What did you do to Tori?" _I heard HoroHoro yell, and I felt a hand shake my shoulder.

"_The Seminoa technique allows a vision to be sent directly into you with just a touch from a spirit," _Lilirara explained. _"Your friend is about to relive the tragedy that the Seminoa warriors were put through."_

"_Let her go, Lilirara," _I heard Yoh plead. _"She never said that she wanted to do this."_

"_I can't," _Lilirara explained as a scene flickered to life in front of me, like a movie screen. _"She is already about to experience it. Besides, her eye contact was more than enough of an agreement. She can only come out of the vision once it is over, and since it had started, no one can enter with her."_

In front of me, the odd screen showed five large, burly warriors walking along a sunlit path through what I recognized as the Rockies. With a feeling of dread, I knew what was about to happen.

A voice came from ahead of the Seminoa warriors, a voice that belonged to the Hao of five hundred years ago, a near mirror image of Silva today.

"Humans will eventually destroy this planet," Hao said, his voice deep like Silva's. "That is why we must annihilate them and create a world of our own. The true purpose of this fight is for the establishment of a Shaman Kingdom, to gather gifted shamans. You have the right to enter our Shaman Kingdom. Let us destroy the humans together."

"You bastard!" one of the warriors exclaimed. "How dare you deceive us… How dare you deceive all the shamans in the world!"

"For the establishment of a Shaman Kingdom?" another yelled.

"It was a mistake to try to make us join you," growled the third.

"We will not follow you!"

"We'll destroy your vision, right here, right now!" the five warriors declared as one, jumping at Hao with their weapons drawn.

Hao smirked, and with three small bursts of fire, three of the Seminoa were killed instantaneously.

"Such a waste," Hao said, his Patch robes billowing. "You should have followed me. You guys are such fools."

There was another burst of fire, and the fourth warrior died.

The last warrior was left sitting on the ground, sweating and panting, unable to defend himself as Hao walked up to him.

"Now, then, you're the only person still alive."

In response, the warrior held up two daggers, and I could feel his determination burning in my own heart.

"Don't be scared," Hao 'soothed.' "It's not like I'm mad. You still have time to change your mind. Are you sure you don't want to cooperate?"

"Of course!" the warrior spat. "We, the warriors of the Seminoa, will never…"

He trailed off as Spirit of Fire suddenly appeared, lifting Hao up in its giant palm. "Pathetic words from a small tribe in this universe," Hao said.

The warrior's breath caught in his throat, and I could feel it in my own.

"Pathetic."

There was one last blaze, and a pain I had never experienced before came over me - it wasn't like what happened when my mark was touched. This was _dying _pain, this was pain that didn't block me out completely from the rest of the world - it was a pain that was supposed to take me _out _of it. Even though I had died countless times before…

It was terrible.

()()()()()()()()

The scream that came out of my throat was raspy, like a whisper, and I bolted upright, my face almost colliding with Yoh's. Spurred by the panic that had come with what I had just endured, I gasped and clutched at Yoh's sweater, burying my face in his chest. I knew I would hate myself later for doing this - I'd faced far worse, after all, but never had I experienced the pain of death like _that_.

Yoh pattered my shoulder. "It's all right," he murmured. His body shifted, and I could tell that he was turning to look at someone. "Lilirara," he said, "I want to see what happened five hundred years ago."

"I will, too," Ren spoke up. "I'm not afraid of pain."

"I'll go, too," HoroHoro declared.

_No,_ I thought, pulling away from Yoh and turning toward the others as Ryu and Chocolove agreed as well. I couldn't let them do this; I couldn't let them experience this dying pain when I could lead them to Patch Village.

But even as I decided this, I knew it was futile. There was no way I could tell them that I knew how to get to Patch Village; it was against my rules, and if I helped them, they would probably be forced out of the Shaman Fight, something I knew that they would not thank me for. So, instead of doing anything, I just about wilted down into an even more helpless sitting position on the floor.

"You all want to know, even though your friend has already shown just what it can do to you?" Lilirara asked.

"Especially because of that!" HoroHoro insisted.

"If one of us goes through something, we all do," Yoh said, standing up along with the others. "Besides, I want to see what happened."

Lilirara let out a sort of dark chuckle. "Fine, then. Are you ready?"

Yoh and the others nodded determinedly, and I stared at the floor as Lilirara had the five spirits enter their bodies. Yoh and the others screamed as this happened, and I put my forehead in my palm, squeezing my eyes shut. They were getting hurt because of me.

Lilirara spoke to them, explaining things in a biased way (though I knew she didn't have the entire story), but I wouldn't be able to repeat what she said. She had no clue what the Patch member's real name was, _who _he was; I knew the others would see it as Silva, would see it as Silva's ancestor. They wouldn't know truly that the tragedy was caused by Hao alone - they didn't even know that Hao could transmigrate.

It seemed to take forever, but finally, one by one with varying gasps of pain, they all woke up. After getting their bearings, they all sat up, each one of us in thought.

"And so," Lilirara said, "the memories of the Seminoa came to an end. Even now, mankind still exists because his plan to create a Shaman Kingdom was stopped. But, I was told that he left a message before he died. 'I am the future king. I shall be revived after one-hundred-eighty thousand moons.'"

There was a small collective gasp from the others, but I already knew this. I felt terrible inside for knowing al this and keeping it secret.

"Now you understand, right?" Lilirara asked seriously. "How fake the Shaman Fight is."

Even though I was feeling so terrible, I was about to get up and just about slap Lilirara for saying such a thing - I had _aided _Shaman Kings in the past, for goodness's sake - but Ren's voice stopped me.

"Just as I thought."

Startled, I turned to him, but HoroHoro spoke next: "Yeah, I definitely saw it before I was killed."

"What was that?" Chocolove asked.

"Spirit of Fire," Ryu explained gravely.

"That oversoul had to be it," Yoh said.

"…What are you talking about?" Lilirara asked.

"His body was that of an adult," HoroHoro said, his voice strained, "but there's no mistake. Why was _Hao _there?"

"Hao?" Lilirara repeated.

"Lilirara," Ren said, "the demon you speak of has already come back to life and is participating in the Shaman Fight."

Lilirara's eyes were horrified as she closed them. "Just as I thought…"

HoroHoro punched the floor, evoking an even greater sense of seriousness to the situation. "I don't understand this at all! Is he a Patch?"

I wanted to explain things so much - I wanted to tell them everything, to keep them from being so confused. All the answers they wanted, I held, plus more; guilt clawed desperately at my stomach, but I did nothing.

"Wait a minute," Ryu said. "This all happened five hundred years ago. Couldn't he have been his ancestor or something?"

"No," Ren said simply. "That man's furyoku was his. 'After one-hundred-eighty thousand moons.' That means five hundred years later."

"So the demon has come back to life…" Lilirara trailed off before she continued. "Now everything is clear, isn't it? Our legend is true. The demon will once again repeat that disaster."

Yoh stood up suddenly, catching my attention; when he spoke, his voice was more urgent than I was used to. "Lilirara, we have more reason to move forward now."

Ren _hmph_ed. "It doesn't suit me to take the long way when there's a clue right in front of me."

"Please do it, Lilirara," Yoh requested. His eyes darted to mine for a moment. "Tori, you sit this one out, okay?"

Yoh meant well, but the words were like a punch in the gut. I nodded, unable to meet his eyes.

"You'll regret it," Lilirara said, holding out her staff.

The boys all stood, and I awkwardly shuffled back without standing to lean on the wall. Lilirara sent the spirits into the boys' bodies again, and I bit my lip and stared at the floor. They weren't out of it for more than three minutes, but it felt like forever before they all gasped and groaned back to wakefulness.

"Did you find anything?" HoroHoro asked, holding his arm.

"The sun was pretty low, wasn't it?" Chocolove grunted, a hand on his forehead.

"Yeah," Ren agreed, his voice a little raspy. "The sun was just above the mountain."

"Were we headed west?" Ryu wondered

"One more time, Lilirara!" Yoh pleaded, on his hands and knees.

My body jerked sharply at this.

'_**No,' **_Nix whispered urgently. _**'It's just pain. It's not something they haven't endured before.'**_

I glued my eyes to the floor, but I couldn't block out the sounds of their yells of pain.

"There's no doubt about it," Ryu said when they woke up again. "They were heading west."

"I saw a river to the right…," Chocolove said weakly.

"I think they were headed towards the valley from the mountain," HoroHoro added.

"Please do it one more time, Lilirara," Yoh requested, his voice a little shaky but insistent.

"Stop," Lilirara said, and I looked up at this. "You can't take it anymore."

"Please!" Yoh said.

I clamped my hands over my ears as they screamed again, and I counted to exactly one-hundred-eighty before I pulled them away and looked up to see the boys all gasping on the ground. The five Seminoa spirits appeared in their full form above them, their faces hard-edged and solemn.

"We're a bit short on clues," HoroHoro grunted.

"Looks like we'll have to go again," Ryu said, sitting up.

I couldn't help it anymore - I stood, but before I could do anything, Lilirara asked, "_Why _are you doing this? Why do you not run from this fear? If you tasted the pain, it should have been more than enough!"

Yoh looked up. "That's why… Every time they show us their memory of the past, they feel the exact same pain as well." He took a breath. "Normally, one couldn't bear to repeat his own death."

"Especially when the reason is to make participants of the Shaman Fight back out," Ryu added.

"It's a rule!" Lilirara snapped, and the words struck me terribly.

"No," Ren argued. "It's not something they can bear because of some rule forced upon them."

"It seems like they have another reason," Chocolove added.

"Hey, you guys," Yoh said. "Why?"

One spirit, this with blue face paint, was silent for a moment before he held up a boomerang. "Taste our power!"

The other spirits pulled out their weapons, and the boys jumped to their feet.

"Why?" Lilirara asked the spirits, but before she could get an answer, the spirits yelled and charged at the boys, who oversouled to defend themselves. I watched, shell-shocked, as the boys ran out of the house, the spirits rushing after them, with Lilirara close behind.

Nix appeared and nudged me, urging me without words to leave then, while everyone was distracted. It was the logical thing to do - after all, time to get to Patch Village was beginning to run out - but hadn't we had this dilemma countless times before? Watching them all be hurt was something I never wanted to happen again, but I knew it wouldn't be the last time I saw it happen. They were my friends… and even though I was more of a secretive leech to them, I wasn't going to abandon them.

I rushed out the door and came out behind Lilirara in time to see the spirits ascending toward the heavens.

"Wait!" Lilirara called desperately. "Where are you going?"

"Lilirara," the lead spirit said, "there are no longer laws to restrain you. The past will no longer restrain you."

I stared at the woman, startled by the words, by how much they could apply to me, and how much they couldn't. I didn't even look up as the spirits continued.

"The valley of the red river."

"Pass through the black sandstorm."

"Head towards the blue cave."

"The Patch will be ahead of it."

"We will leave everything in your hands. Do not experience the same fate as we did."

There was a clatter, and I looked to see the Seminoa dolls fall to the ground. The aura of the Seminoa spirits had disappeared.

"It looks like they no longer have a reason to stay in this world," Amidamaru said as he appeared before wishing, "May you rest in peace."

"No…," Lilirara breathed. I saw her head tilt down. "Then what was my mission? Wasn't stopping shamans my mission?"

"Wasn't it the opposite?" Ryu asked.

"The opposite?"

"You were a guide for us," HoroHoro explained.

"Me?" Lilirara asked.

Yoh smiled. "Thanks, Lilirara. We can see our path now."

()()()()()()()()

It wasn't too long after when a bus could be seen coming from over the hill. I stood with the others on the sidewalk, still much more uncomfortable with Lilirara than the others appeared to be.

"Why were you all so determined to become the Shaman King?" Lilirara asked.

I glanced back as HoroHoro answered, "Because we have dreams."

"Something like that," Ryu added.

"…Can you tell me what they are?" Lilirara asked.

"My dream is to create a huge field of coltsfoot!" HoroHoro said gleefully.

"A Best Place!" Ryu exclaimed.

"A world filled with laughter!" Chocolove added.

Lilirara stared for a moment before she broke out in a good, hearty laugh that immediately made me like her a little better. "That's wonderful," she said with a small smile, which caught the others off-guard.

"I wonder how long it's been since I laughed," Lilirara said.

"I guess I'll tell you," Ren said after a moment, and I blinked as I looked at him. "My dream is to-"

The bus honked, and the boys called a hasty goodbye as we climbed aboard. The bus was pretty much empty, and we all went to sit near the back. I sat down beside the window, HoroHoro choosing to sit next to me. I stared out the window as the bus began to move, causing Lilirara to quickly be lost from view.

"…That wasn't easy for you, was it?" HoroHoro began awkwardly.

_Nothing worse than the usual,_ I thought bitterly before I turned to see him looking at me with concern. Seeing this made me berate myself for being so pessimistic as I shook my head in response.

HoroHoro stared at me with an unreadable expression before he grinned and joked, "It wasn't all that easy for me, either."

I blinked, startled, but the reality of the situation put to this suddenly made me laugh.


	39. The Hanagumi

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. However, I did buy two more volumes, so I have 1, 4, 5 and 6. See the gap?**

_Happy Friday :D So, they never actually call themselves the Hanagumi, but the episode title said that. And I'm really too lazy to change the title; besides, it doesn't matter. *prods title and gets kicked by Kanna* (zomg not only did I just realize that's alliteration but that she has the same name as Kanna from Fruits Basket o.o)_

_*jumps around* This took me forever to write, but I think I kept the Hanagumi in character. They're not my favorites, but I do have to admit that they kick ass._

_On a side-note, I was bored so I looked up everyone's name in my dictionary, and Chocolove's english name Joco is very similar to jocose, which means 'fond of joking.' No joke. XD The things I do when I'm bored._

_So, now I gotta get back to writing. I've written three chapters this week, at the expense of my vacation homework. :D Enjoy!_

**Thirty-Nine: The Hanagumi**

Today, we found ourselves lying around the bottom of a canyon as we took our break. I sat on a warm rock, staring up at the sky. We still had a ways to go, but we were closing in on Patch Village, at least.

I wondered what would happen once we finally got there. Goldva would surely have some sort of a bone to pick with me, but I tried to push the thought out of my mind. Hadn't I decided on crossing bridges once I got to them?

Deciding that I needed to try and be more lighthearted about the whole situation, I asked Nix, in a friendly, conversational tone, _**'What have I gotten us into?'**_

'_**I ask myself that every second,' **_Nix replied with a mental chuckle, something that was rare but wonderful to hear. Nowadays we were just about always on opposite ends of the spectrum, but he and I were always linked, always connected; we were all that each other really had, and it felt good to be in a situation where we weren't at each other's necks, although I knew he only did that because he cared about me.

"Yoh-dono!"

Amidamaru's voice broke through my thoughts, and I looked to see him floating down in his spirit ball form towards Yoh, who was sitting beside me.

"It seems that the mountains continue for some way," the samurai said.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" HoroHoro asked on my other side, sitting up from where he had been lazily lying.

"The first part of the direction we got from the Seminoa mentioned a red river, right?" Chocolove asked, looking up the canyon. "The valley up ahead has been called that for some time."

"Okay!" Yoh said, standing up. "In that case, off we go!"

"Yeah!" Ryu agreed as I stood up as well.

"I'm hungry," HoroHoro sighed, and I heard his stomach growl.

"Hmph," Ren grunted, his arms crossed. "You're too carefree."

Chocolove somehow whipped out a guitar and managed to play a few strings along with a horrible song before Ren pulled out his Kwan Dao and poked the comedian in the nose.

"Already at it, huh?" Yoh laughed as Chocolove jumped around, yelling in pain.

I smiled, amused, but before anything else could happen, there was a slight squeal of tires and a honk, and I looked up to see the Lily Five's red van parked a little ways' away.

"Hey, guys," Sharona greeted, rolling down her window to lean her arm on the door.

"Oi, the Lily Five!" Yoh called, causing Sharona to blow up a little about the name.

"What do you want?" Ren asked, getting to the point quickly, as always. (Did I just make a bad pun about his hair…? I think Chocolove's rubbed off on me.)

"What kind of a greeting is that?" Sharona asked. "We even greeted you nicely. You guys want a ride?" she went on, jerking a thumb towards the back of the car. "The road ahead seems long and…" She trailed off, noticing the boys' reluctance. "What?"

"You're so obvious," HoroHoro said.

"You're planning on having us guide you to Patch Village, aren't you?" Chocolove accused.

Sharona cried in delight before literally _leaping _out the window and running up to HoroHoro and Chocolove, her eyes alight. "So you guys _do _know where Patch Village is, don't you?"

The two boys looked horrorstruck, and I could very well have laughed then and there.

"Idiots," Ren grumbled.

"Yeah, we know," Yoh replied cheerily to Sharona.

"_Yoh_!" the others yelled as Sharona ran up to Yoh to get directions.

Ren pulled out his Kwan Dao and pointed it at Yoh and Sharona. "Stop acting by yourself," he growled. "That information is something we fought for and obtained. We have no obligations to tell others."

"_Wha_?" Sharona and Yoh groaned.

"He's right, master," Ryu agreed.

"They're asking for too much," HoroHoro added.

"Information isn't free," Chocolove said.

Yoh seemed to ponder this for a slight moment at the end of Ren's Kwan Dao before he grinned. "It's all right, isn't it? It's not like we'll lose anything by telling them."

Ren huffed before resting his Kwan Dao on his shoulder. "How nice do you have to be?"

Sharona clapped her hands together, reminding me of how I would clap to get attention. "Nothing less expected from the leader of the Yoh-Yohs! He has such a big heart!"

"Yoh-Yohs?" Yoh repeated.

"I gave your group a name as well," Sharona replied happily.

I stared at Sharona blankly. Yoh…Yohs…? Did this woman have no sense?

"This has nothing to do with our names!" HoroHoro screeched, stomping his foot angrily.

"'Yoh' isn't a part of our names, yo," Chocolove pointed out, though his pun went mainly unheard.

"So," Sharona said seriously, clapping her hands together again. "Where's Patch Village?"

Yoh told Sharona the directions while she searched anxiously for a pencil and paper before silently urging Lilly over.

"Did you get it?" Sharona asked her ally when Yoh was done.

"All of it!" Lilly replied.

"All right!" Sharona exclaimed as the two of them turned and ran back for the car, locking themselves in in what must've been a record time.

"Hey!" Chocolove called. "Give us a ride!"

"Now that I think about it," Sharona replied from inside, "we're already full. Pardon me!" she called as the car sped down the flat of the canyon, literally leaving us standing in the dust, appalled.

Yoh was the first to recover as he said, "Well then, shall we Yoh-Yohs get going as well?"

"_Don't call us that_!" the others yelled, and I found myself staring at Yoh angrily along with them.

"It's okay, isn't it?" Yoh asked, gathering his things. "She went through great pains to give us that name."

"_It's not okay_!"

"Then what shall we call ourselves?" Yoh asked as we prepared to move on.

"The Chocoloves!" It was needless to say who said this. It was also needless to say who screamed in pain after being stabbed in the nose.

()()()()()()()()()

A little while later, we came to a fork in the road. Yoh _hmm_ed as he stared at the map, and my eyes glanced down the right path. Maybe I could somehow, without going against my rules, convince the others which path we should go down, but that was impossible.

"Which way?" Yoh mumbled.

"Which way should we go, Master?" Ryu asked.

Yoh turned the map. "What was north again?"

"You don't even have a _clue_?" HoroHoro screeched.

Chocolove screamed in pain, and I looked to see him jumped around, holding his nose. "I haven't said anything yet!"

"Oh, sorry," Ren 'apologized,' pulling his Kwan Dao back. "I thought you were going to make another stupid joke and read to far ahead."

Chocolove made another stupid pun, and Ren stabbed him in the nose, and I chuckled.

Veins were popping in Ren's head as he turned to me. "What are you laughing at?" he asked.

I stopped laughing and just smiled. _'I've told you before,' _I signed, '_it's not the joke, it's the reaction.'_

Ren blinked as if considering my words before he turned away, muttering something that sounded an awful lot like, "Women are confusing…"

I smirked as I turned back to Yoh, who was still studying the map.

Angrily, HoroHoro jerked the map out of the Asakura's hands. "North is up. Above!"

At that moment, my senses picked up energy that sent a sort of panicky bolt through me, and I looked up sharply to see a dark shape in the sky that was rapidly getting bigger…

"HoroHoro, above you!" Ryu cried.

"Right," HoroHoro said, not realizing what was going on. "Above."

A shadow fell over him, and his eyes widened as he looked up.

I oversouled Nix in an instant and was about to grab HoroHoro's arm when he grabbed mine and half ran, half jumped away, pulling me with him. There was a loud _crash _behind me as whatever oversoul it was landed on the ground, and I looked back to see a giant suit of armor holding a lance standing where _we _had just been standing a moment before.

HoroHoro stopped only once we were at a 'safe' distance away. "What is this guy?"

"That was pretty nice, HoroHoro!" Yoh said. "What a close call!"

"Your point is way off!" HoroHoro screeched back.

"It's finally our turn, but…"

The voice came from up above, and I looked up sharply to see three girls standing there: from left to right, a pigtailed, orange-haired girl, a blue-haired girl smoking a cigarette, and a blonde who apparently liked black and white. It was the blue-haired girl who had spoken.

"How disappointing," she continued. "You're just a bunch of careless little brats."

"Who are you all?" Ren commanded, holding up his Kwan Dao.

"Why are you acting all important?" the orange-head asked, resting her broomstick medium on her shoulders.

I couldn't remember ever seeing these girls. I must've missed their preliminary fights (there was no way I could've seen _all _of them; shamans are more common throughout the world than one might think). However, this fact didn't sadden me in the least.

"I don't know why you came here," Ryu began with a wink in their direction, "but if you touch us, you'll be burned."

"Mari feels sick," the blonde said, holding her hands up in front of her mouth.

Ryu fell over.

"What a nuisance," the orange-head said. She suddenly caught sight of me. "Oi," she called, "Hao-sama said to say hi, and that we had to give you a chance to leave."

"And we're only giving you two seconds," the blue-haired girl added.

"Which are over… now," the girl who I assumed was Mari said. "Other than that, Hao-sama said that we weren't supposed to kill you."

Sudden hatred and exasperation bubbled in my stomach. I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind, and I was incredibly surprised that Nix didn't censor it: "Tell Hao to fuck off and leave me the hell alone!"

They all stiffened. "What did you say, bitch?" the blue-haired girl asked.

I opened my mouth to-

"Oi!" HoroHoro suddenly called. "Don't call her that!"

"Shut up, BoroBoro!" I yelled, my throat rasping before I turned back to the girls, a nearly unexplainable emotion of anger boiling inside me. "You heard what I said."

'_**I can't control what you're saying!' **_Nix's mental voice was urgent and panicky. _**'Your emotions are too strong!"**_

They all glared at me with undisguised malice, and I glared back, determined to show them that I was _not _going to take any more crap from either them or Hao. I didn't care about my rules - if any of them so much provoked me with just one wrong look, I was going to go ballistic, even if I couldn't fight well.

Finally, the blue-haired girl flicked her eyes to Yoh, and the knight oversoul, which I assume was hers, pointed its lance at the Asakura.

"Hey, you," she said. "Don' you feel sorry for Hao-sama? Only being able to use such a meager oversoul."

"Meager?" Amidamaru repeated in outrage.

"You're weak because you use a human spirit," blue-hair-girl continued.

"Amidamaru is strong," Yoh insisted, though he kept his cool.

Blue-girl let out a bitter laugh. "This is why Hao-sama is sad. The person himself can't see his weakness."

"I don't care what Hao thinks," Yoh said, holding up his sheathed Harusame. "That's enough."

Blue-girl held a hand to her head. "You've angered me long enough."

"Let's hurry and kill them already," Mari insisted.

Blue-girl huffed. "Ashcroft!" she called, and her giant knight rushed toward Yoh, who oversouled Amidamaru and managed to hold the attack.

"What's the meaning of this?" Yoh asked through gritted teeth.

"We're going to make you understand how weak you guys are," Blue-girl explained as I glared at them.

"We have to make you realize that you can't be of help to Hao-sama in your current condition," Orange-top added.

"That's why we're here," Mari said.

"I don't understand what you're saying at all!" Yoh yelled.

"You'll understand eventually, even if you don't want to," Blue-girl replied evenly. "So why don't you just accept it?"

I was about to launch myself at the girls when I suddenly saw Ryu jump at Ashcroft and slice the body of armor so that its pieces were strewn about on the ground. One piece of its arm fell near me, and out of spite I kicked it - which is not something you should do when the toe of your shoe isn't all that thick, but I refused to let any pain show on my face. Even if it _really _hurt.

Blue-girl glared at us, snapped her fingers, and her oversoul reassembled itself.

HoroHoro and Ren jumped into the air with their oversouls, and I, ignoring Nix's pleads, launched myself after them. Ren shot out a volley of stabs and HoroHoro bombarded the girls with icicles, while I flapped my wings to deliver a fiery X, putting all the force I could into the attack.

The trio of girls was enveloped in a cloud of dust, but when it cleared, the girls were unfazed.

I couldn't say that I was completely surprised - these _were _Hao's subordinates, after all - but that didn't mean that I had to like it. In fact, it made me hate the girls all the more.

Mari lifted a scraggly old doll with a gun that looked disturbingly like Manta (now homesickness was being fuelled to my hate) while Orange-top pulled up a jack-o'-lantern dummy. Instantly, both mediums were oversouled and hurtling straight at us. Panicked, I brought my wings up to defend myself, but it was too late - pain erupted in my shoulder, and I dropped out of the sky as I lost oversoul, landing on the ground with a thud only seconds later.

_D…Damn it…_ I thought as I struggled to my hands and knees. I looked up just in time to see Chocolove crash to the ground a small ways in front of me.

"These guys are really strong!" HoroHoro exclaimed, his voice rasping a little.

The trio stared at us until Blue-girl sighed. "Your oversouls are nothing."

"Damn it," HoroHoro muttered.

Ren brandished his Kwan Dao. "I underestimated them."

Blue-girl huffed around her cigarette. "How stupid."

"No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to do anything," Orange-top pointed out.

"But it's all right for you to fight desperately," Mari added almost quietly. She hugged her disturbingly Manta-like doll. "Otherwise Mari would get bored."

'_**We need to run,' **_Nix pleaded as I oversouled him again, though I could tell he knew it was in vain. I was not about to let these girls walk all over us.

While I had been doing this, the others had been shooting taunts back at the girls, but I only got to hear Ryu's, which was: "I'm not going to hold back anymore, even if you're girls!"

The trio shared a small chuckle. "You think you'll win?" Blue-girl asked.

"Well, it'll work out somehow," Yoh said.

"Hmph," Blue-girl replied. "Do as you wish. Ashcroft!" she called, while the two other girls oversouled their spirits once more. With a cry from Blue-girl, the momentary lull ceased as Ashcroft stabbed the ground, causing the terrain to just about explode.

A large gust of wind coming up from the ground accompanied this attack, and I used the air to propel myself into the sky again. I looked down to assess the situation and saw Ashcroft deflect Yoh and Ryu's long-range attacks with just the tip of its lance.

"What an ineffective attack," Blue-girl scoffed.

Chocolove rushed up with his incredible speed towards Ashcroft, but Mari's oversoul shot purplish bullets at him that acted like heat-sensing missiles. Feeling panicked, I was about to go down there myself and try to take the brunt of the attack with my oversoul when HoroHoro sent out a thick wall of icicles to block the barrage before he sent more icicles towards the trio of girls.

Orange-top's oversoul, the jack-o'-lantern doll, rushed at the attack and stopped it with its head.

"Can't you see reality yet?" she teased. "Is something wrong with your eyes?"

Angered, I swooped down closer and took the opportunity to send another fiery X, and at the same time, Ren had Bason deliver a Golden Punch. Orange-top just smirked at us as her oversoul suddenly came in front of her and blocked both attacks simultaneously before it slashed out and sent the both of us crashing to the ground, but not before causing us to lose oversoul.

There was another lull in the battle as I did my best to ignore the pain and rise to my feet. I was _really _fed up with these girls. I was fed up with Hao always giving me special treatment (even though he had rather failed in that aspect by sending _this _trio after us). I oversouled Nix again, even though I felt that I was nearly out of actual furyoku. Not only was I not a very good fighter, but the furyoku I used for oversoul didn't amount to much, even with the whole 'dying gives you more' deal. I was kinda screwed over in that aspect.

"Mari is bored," the blonde said rather listlessly yet whiningly. Her voice didn't travel very far, but I caught it with Nix's senses.

"Why?" Orange-top asked. "They're doing their best to fight back."

Mari bowed her head slightly. "But I can't get serious. Or I might kill them," she added with a slight smile.

Orange-top chuckled while Blue-girl smirked. "You're right. Shall we put an end to this? _Izenuto Brutto!_" she yelled.

Ashcroft readied its lance once again and shot a gale-force wind at Ryu, who tried to block the attack, but it sent him flying all the same.

"_Trick or Treat!" _Orange-top added, and her jack-o'-lantern oversoul charged at Ren. The Tao fed furyoku to Bason so that the spirit would grow and punch the enemy, but Orange-top's oversoul went straight _through _Bason and slashed at Ren, who screamed in pain as blood spurted from his stomach.

Such shock went through me that I barely heard what Mari said, although I _did _hear her oversoul's gunshots and see the purplish bullets hit HoroHoro and Chocolove.

I didn't see the bullet that hit me in the stomach, but I sure as hell felt it as I crashed into the canyon wall.

My body ached everywhere as I leaned against the rock. I felt blood trailing down my arms and felt it soaking my shirt on my back, but I couldn't bring myself to move, not even to try and heal myself.

"…finally your turn, Asakura Yoh," I heard, and I looked up weakly to see Blue-girl and the others glaring down at Yoh, who was the only one left standing.

He let out a yell as he fed furyoku to Amidamaru. _"Shinkuu Buttagiri!" _he called as he slashed out with his spirit, sending a red slash hurtling towards the trio.

Immediately, Ashcroft jumped in front of the girls and stopped the attack with its lance.

"_Ashcroft!"_ Blue-girl yelled, and her oversoul's eyes gleamed as it rushed toward Yoh and let out a barrage of stabs that, in my weak state, reminded me vaguely of Ren's trademark attack.

Yoh held up his shield oversoul to block, and even though I was worried, pain had that incredible way of making you not care as much about other people and make you want to pass out, but I forced myself to stay awake, even if I couldn't get myself to stand up.

Mari added her oversoul's bullet attack to the barrage. Orange-top's oversoul slashed at Yoh's shield, causing him to scream but still stand. Finally, Ashcroft took a few steps back and launched itself at Yoh, its lance prepared to stab.

There was a flash of red and blue, and I was blinded by spiritual energy. Panicked, I blinked and forced my eyes to refocus in time to see the dust from the unknown attack die down. Ashcroft lay in pieces on the ground, and two shikigami, one red, one blue, stood in front of someone I _knew _I had to be hallucinating.

"If you wish to continue," hallucination-Anna said, a long chain of beads I couldn't remember ever seeing in her hands, "I will be your opponent."

"Zenki and Kouki," I heard Blue-girl ground out, and I realized that these were those shikigami that Hao had gotten rid of back in his first life (I knew this because I had lived in Japan not long after he had died). But of course, this couldn't be possible.

Anna couldn't be here. This couldn't really be _Anna. _Not all the way out here, not when I'd said my goodbyes to her and the others…

"You're…" Blue-girl began.

"I am Anna, the itako," Anna/not-Anna replied. "The woman who will become the wife of the Shaman King."

"I see. So you're…" Blue-girl trailed off, and I somehow tore my eyes away from this 'Anna' and turned to look up at her just in time to see her give both me and the 'itako' a dirty look. "Mari! Macchi!" she called. "Let's go back."

"Running away?" Anna asked.

"Hao-sama told us not to get involved with you," Blue-girl explained. "We'll forgive you today."

With that, she, Mari, and Orange-top - Macchi - teleported away.

Weakly and in a daze, I somehow found the strength to stand; I think confusion somehow fueled me to do this. I heard a screech of tires, and I turned to see the Lily Five's red van hurrying off in a cloud of dust, leaving Tamao, Jun, Pailong… Faust… Eliza… and Manta…

"Tamao-chan! Manta! Why are you guys here?" I heard Ryu say.

"Shut up, Ryu," HoroHoro grumbled.

"Seriously," Ren added.

"Hey, is everyone okay?" Yoh asked.

I'm not sure what happened next, but I think I fainted.


	40. The Chou Senji Ryakketsu

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. I do own Tori, Nix, Tai (even though we've just about never seen him), as well as anyone who decides to show up.**

_...It's been a week but it feels like forever. My schedule just got FAR busier than it was before. Gotta help with set for Drama (who else is gonna do it?), gotta go to 3 hour classes for Driver's Ed (only twice a week... thank the King of Spirits XD), gotta drive with the instructor (doing that tomorrow :D), plus homework. *pauses* ...No, I don't think there's anything else. But this means less time to write, although I do believe I'll still be able to update at the regular times. If not I'll try to update earlier rather than later :P_

_Hm... The Chou Senji Ryakketsu... I kinda wanna read it. I mean, it's gotta have some cool spells and stuff in it. Magic. (Speaking of magic, I read "My Immortal," the worst fanfic ever (its a Harry Potter fic), because my friend told me to... it's basically all chatspeak and... *coughporncough*. My IQ dropped, and when I looked this chapter over it looked all wrong... My head hurt so much XD) Anyways, I wanna know why Hao decided to master the elements... Maybe it explains it in the manga. *scratches head* More incentive to read rather than do homework..._

_I don't really like the ending of this chapter. :/ In the writing I'm ten chapters ahead of this one, and I'm getting ready to write one of the best/worst cliffhangers (depending on how you look at it...). Don't worry, I'll tell you when that chapter will come ;) I'm thinking that this fanfic will be only 60 chapters, but I'm not sure. *shrugs* We'll see._

_Enjoy, I'll see y'all next week :P_

**Forty: The Chou Senji Ryakketsu**

"…not from her physical injuries - those aren't too bad - it just probably happened from the shock of seeing us."

I blinked open my eyes to see none other than Faust in front of me. Immediately forgetting how he seemed to have been completely mild when I had saw him and the others and instead remembering how he had tortured Manta, I jumped from my previous sitting position to my feet and backed up against the cliff wall.

Faust looked up at me in surprise, but the first sound that really met my ears was laughter - namely, from Yoh, Manta, HoroHoro, and Chocolove.

"Tori-kun," Manta greeted cheerfully, and I looked down at him in disbelief. "It's all right - I kinda had the same reaction, but Faust and Anna made a deal. By the way," he went on, "are you feeling all right? You look a little pale. You weren't out for more than a minute, though."

Pale? Why would I be pale? It wasn't like the people I had expected never to see again were suddenly standing right in front of me. No, I wasn't taken aback by this at _all_.

Not.

In response, though, I nodded. _'Never felt better,' _I signed, and it was at least partly true - while I was incredibly shocked, seeing Manta could make just about anyone happier on principle.

Yoh chuckled. "Guess it would be a bad idea to surprise you from now on," he joked. He turned to Anna. "Those were amazing shikigamis," he said. "I didn't know you had something like that."

"They're Hao's shikigamis," the itako deadpanned.

All cheer from a moment before didn't just evaporate - it vanished completely, as if a lightning bolt had dropped down and fried us all, and not in that cartoon-y way where all the ashes fall to the ground.

"…Hao…?" HoroHoro repeated.

Yoh scratched his head and tried to relieve the tension. "Why'd you come here?"

Anna didn't respond for the slightest moment. "To make you stronger with this, the Chou Senji Ryakketsu," she said, holding up an incredibly aged book that had such a strong spiritual energy that I wondered if it had really been what had made me faint, because my body really felt like it was almost going to do that again.

At this incredibly wrong time (as if this wasn't unusual…), Chocolove made some pun about carrots, and I couldn't help but stare at him for a moment as a solitary wind blew.

"Chou Senji Ryakketsu?" Yoh repeated as we turned back to Anna.

"Yes," she replied.

I noticed Manta struggling with himself as if he were considering hitting Chocolove, and even though I was really feeling screwed up because of the book's aura, I felt a rush of affection. I hadn't even realized how much I had _missed _the little guy.

"Hey, who is that?" he suddenly asked, looking to the aforementioned comedian.

_You'll find out soon enough, _I thought as I turned back to Yoh and Anna's conversation.

"So, Anna, what is that?" Yoh asked. "That Senji Ryakketsu book?"

"It is a book that contains all the powers of the great Buddhist monk, Asakura Hao," Anna replied.

Yoh looked shell-shocked, and a felt a pang of pity for him. "Asakura… Hao…?"

()()()()()()()()

"You mean that he started everything a thousand years ago, madam?" Ryu asked.

"It seems so," Anna replied as we all sat or stood in a loose circle.

Anna had explained some of the situation to us, and I sat as far away from her as I could in the large space between Ryu and HoroHoro. Good old guilt was bubbling away in my stomach, churning with the knowledge that I already knew at least most of this. Granted, I somehow hadn't known about Hao's book, but I had known just about everything else. But I had these thoughts all the time, and I did my best to push them away. Like always.

Another thing was that Jun was here, with Pailong. Seeing the former actor just fueled my guilt about Tai. Screw my existence.

"So you're really a descendant of Hao?" HoroHoro asked, a little hesitant, but still curious.

"Yeah, this is a surprise," Yoh said in a rather even tone.

"You actually knew about it?" Manta asked.

"One of Hao's allies said something about it," Yoh explained.

"Hey," Chocolove interrupted, "I can't see where this conversation is going…"

"It means," Ren said seriously, "that the Patch man Lilirara showed us from five hundred years ago, and Hao, who is currently participating in the Shaman Fight, are both Yoh's ancestor, Asakura Hao, who transmigrated."

_Not to mention they're twins, _I thought, but I swatted that one away rather quickly.

"You said that Hao wants to create a world for only shamans, right madam?" Ryu asked.

"The man from five hundred years ago also wanted to create a Shaman Kingdom," HoroHoro recalled.

"Then it's settled," Ren said. "There's no mistake that Hao is trying to obtain the Great Spirits for that same reason."

"Man, he sure comes up with some crazy ideas," Ryu noted.

"How could he be reborn so easily?" Chocolove scoffed, "He can't be human."

I couldn't help but scratch the back of my head a bit self-consciously at this. I knew I wasn't like Hao, but I honestly didn't know _exactly _what I was.

"You're right," Anna agreed.

"He's not human?" Chocolove screamed in shock.

"He's a shaman who has mastered the five elements and has the ability to control nature," Anna explained, her voice and face betraying absolutely nothing. "In a sense, he has surpassed mankind," she finished with a look to Yoh.

"I see," Ryu said importantly, crossing his arms. "If he's that great, then I can understand his dream to create a world with only shamans."

"Yeah," HoroHoro agreed, "since he can even control his own life."

Anna stood, still looking at her fiancé. "The Asakuras are the ones to blame for all of this. The Asakuras must crush the sin brought into the world by the Asakuras. Since you are the future of the Asakuras… Yoh, your mission is to defeat Hao."

Yoh's stare was unreadable.

"Or so your grandfather said," Anna continued. "But it is more important for you to become the Shaman King."

"So that you can lead an easy life?" Yoh asked, as if he hadn't just been told that he was supposed to defeat a family member (I could only imagine what he'd do when he found out about the whole twin thing).

"Yes," Anna replied. "So, memorize the Chou Senji Ryakketsu now."

Yoh let out a small chuckle with a bit of disbelief as he stood and dusted off the seat of his pants. "Isn't that really hard?"

"If you become the Shaman King, you can relax all you want," Anna informed. When Yoh chuckled, she went on, "I've prepared a special training course."

"Eh… another special?" Yoh asked, unsure.

"Madam!" Ryu suddenly said, standing. "Please allow me to inherit the Chou Senji Ryakketsu as well!"

"It can't hurt if we memorize it too," HoroHoro added with a chuckle.

I blinked at their backs, wondering how I hadn't anticipated this. Of course the others would want more power, greedy idiots. If they could sense the aura of the book, I had a feeling that they might think twice… well, if they were a bit smarter, but boys - especially these ones - only thought twice once it was too late (except for Manta, but he was a genius).

"No," Anna answered simply. "Even if you memorized it, there's no way you could defeat Yoh."

"That's not it, madam," Ryu said. "Please don't get the wrong idea. I just want to follow Master Yoh wherever he goes." He pointed at HoroHoro. "I don't have any impure motives like _him_."

"_Impure_?" HoroHoro yelled, angry.

"With that excuse, it's totally impure," Ryu argued.

"No means no," Anna deadpanned.

"Madam… Master…" Ryu pleaded.

I found myself standing, though I didn't attract any attention by doing so. I would ask myself how these two could possibly be so stupid (the book's aura was _still _making me feel off), but I knew that they wouldn't be themselves if they weren't. Men.

Yoh chuckled nervously. "I'm not the one to decide…"

"Keeping it all for yourself?" HoroHoro asked, a little hostilely.

"No," Yoh said, scratching his head, "it's not like that. It's just that this is a serious problem for the Asakura family."

Ren huffed. "Why don't you just tell the truth? That you can't teach family skills to others. That means," he went on, suddenly confidently pointing his Kwan Dao in Yoh's face, "I'll just have to take it by force."

The first thought that went through my mind was: _Idiot. _The second was that this was very much, oddly, the reverse of Yoh coming to rescue Ren from his father; here, Ren was butting into _Yoh's _family business, although Yoh didn't seem to mind as much as Ren had.

Power-hungry testosterone-fueled men.

Ren was smirking while Yoh was smiling as the Asakura replied, "Anna's special training course is hell."

"More power won't get in our way later on," Ren said.

"Don't try to become stronger all by yourself," HoroHoro warned good-naturedly.

"I'll accompany you to even the end of hell, Master," Ryu declared.

"You don't understand, do you?" Anna asked with her arms folded, repeating my thoughts almost word-for-word. "Just as Yoh said, this is a problem of the Asakuras. Besides, there is no guarantee that you'll live through this."

"Don't worry," Yoh said as soon as she finished, earning a bit of a glare from his fiancée. "We'll manage somehow. Well, then," he continued, "shall we all go together?"

I did nothing but cross my arms as Ren said, "You should've said that to begin with. Now you've wasted valuable time."

Yoh chuckled.

"'Mwe he he he' my ass!" HoroHoro yelled at him.

()()()()()()()

"If you want to train," Anna said as we stood outside a large crevice in the canyon, "it should be inside a cave. Let's begin."

I felt a flash of furyoku from Anna, and she threw her beads at the cave. Immediately, the long chain seemed to catch on something invisible, and a purplish, murky world appeared beyond the new opening. If the aura that radiated from it was any more palpable, it would have knocked me flat on my behind, no questions asked. Already, I felt like I had to squint in the invisible light of the energy.

Anna turned back to us, and I had to force myself to focus in order to hear her. "It's tedious to begin training from the top, right? I've extracted the essence of the Chou Senji Ryakketsu on the other side. It's very thick. I really can't guarantee your safety," she warned.

A few seconds before she finished, HoroHoro, who was next to me, turned to me. "You goin' in?"

I blinked, startled at the sudden question. However, because I seriously felt so messed up from the waves of aura, I nodded, albeit shakily. I was so disoriented that I didn't realize that I had nodded.

"Hurry up and go!" I heard Ren yell, and I gave a start and looked to see the Tao kick Yoh into the portal before jumping after him. Faust went in after them, and I _think _that HoroHoro, who was bickering with Ryu, tugged me along.

()()()()()()

In any case, the next thing that I was truly aware of was being surrounded by incredible power and presence.

Being _inside _the Chou Senji Ryakketsu was stifling, to say the least. But the auras and power that both pushed against me and coursed through me were impossible to describe, so I won't even try to delve any farther into an explanation of how it felt. I did, however, feel a lot more focused than I had _outside _the book's essence, for some reason.

I was just barely aware of the others as we seemed to float in midair, looking down upon the scene: several men and horses standing beside a river, behind a Buddhist monk. It was the first Hao, who was looking at two shikigami who stood on rock pillars: Zenki and Kouki.

One of the two jumped at Hao, and the monk put up a hand, a pentagram appearing as energy shot out and hit the demon. The other tried to come up behind Hao, but he dodged with absolute, soundless ease by way of teleportation and did the same to it.

All that was left of the shikigami were two little bits of what looked like stars that floated down to him.

"T-those are the shikigamis that Madam controlled!" Ryu gasped, his voice echoing strangely.

"He's Asakura Hao?" Yoh asked quietly, but it felt like his voice was booming.

One of the men who had been standing behind Hao managed to stop gawking as the specks of shikigami floated down in front of the monk, who began to turn around and bow as the man spoke. "We thank you for exterminating those demons. Nothing less expected from the great Buddhist monk. Please provide us with your services in the future as well."

But, even as the man smiled warmly, his thoughts echoed loudly. _"What a frightening man."_

"_Is he really human, like us?"_

"_He's a demon wearing a man's face!"_

"_Don't look away, or he'll get you!"_

The sadness and disappointment that coursed through me was Hao's, but it felt as if it were my own. Hao had just helped these men, yet they were afraid of him, were afraid of his power.

"You heard them, correct?" Hao asked, and suddenly we were floating above a large forest, a river directly below us. I looked up to see the monk hovering in the air, just as stable as if he were standing.

"Humans are such tiny, foolish beings," he continued, and I could feel his certainty. "They don't have any value in existence. A world with only shamans… is the true affluent and developed utopia." He turned around and began to float away quickly. "Come with me."

We floated along after Hao, who landed in the river and walked straight upstream with ease.

"Amazing!" HoroHoro breathed.

"How's he doing that?" Ryu asked, sounding panicked.

"The powers of the shamans are not for mankind," Hao explained, "but rather, a part of nature. We can therefore read the flow of nature and are able to choose the path we should follow. Humans, however, cannot do that. Their extinction is also unavoidable."

The scene shifted again, and suddenly we were above a large pool of lava. The heat instantly relaxed me, but definitely not HoroHoro or Ryu.

Hao's legs submerged into the glowing lava. "Humans can't do things like this," he said calmly, as if he weren't incredibly close to burning his legs off. It was unnerving to the others, but I...

...I was incredibly relaxed above the lava, and I felt myself dropping down slowly towards it.

"These are only images," Hao explained calmly, picking up a handful of lava and letting it drip through his fingers. "These are memories of nature. Because we shamans are part of nature, we can awaken them."

I was a few feet from the lava. The heat was mesmerizing, and I reached out a hand, but suddenly I wasn't looking at molten rock; I was looking down at the world. The _world_.

"Of course," Hao continued, "it is I who awakened these memories. You people still do not have enough power. The power to open the future." As if to demonstrate the act of doing this, Hao spread his arms.

"The future?" I heard Yoh breathe.

"You people should know how polluted this planet has become," Hao went on, and flashes of factories and dead fish and cities and barren wastelands flashed behind my eyes. "But we shamans have the ability to recreate this world," he said as everything was engulfed in white.

The white faded away quickly, and was replaced by sunlight, grass, trees, animals, and clean, fresh air. The breeze felt wonderful, and I felt a pang for how things used to be, how simple and… amazing it was.

"No one would think this scenery to not be beautiful," Hao said. "Even humans should at least be able to feel that. But can humans see the flow of the wind? Or hear the voice of the earth?" He shook his head. "They cannot. Only we shamans can do that."

"Shamans are capable of things like this?" Ryu asked.

"This is bad," HoroHoro said. "I'm actually becoming awed by this."

"So much that I'm mortified," I heard Ren whisper.

"I have only mastered the five elements," Hao explained. "But if I become one with the Great Spirits, I will become the world itself… and everything will return to how it should be." Hao floated upwards, and his body turned white, which in turn bleached out everything, including my thoughts as I felt something well inside me. "For the sake of the coming world, I will grant you people power as well. Feel the furyoku within. Release the dormant power. I will guide you. We hold unlimited possibilities. Now, let us…

"I welcome you, from the bottom of my heart."

()()()()()()()()()

I stared at the ground, feeling nothing but also feeling everything. All my senses were heightened, and I could feel powerful, usable furyoku in the pit of my stomach. I felt strong, something that I had never truly felt before. The ground felt different beneath my feet, like it was more alive than I had thought, and the air felt different as well. I could sense Hao nearby, as well as multiple people hurrying towards us, though I paid all of them no mind.

The only thing about it, though… was that with my senses so much clearer, it was almost as if I could feel the heartbeats of the others, could tell what position they were standing in, whether or not they were calm. I knew that if I wanted to, I could easily hear their thoughts as clear as day. Manta in particular felt small and scared… human. And it was with this realization that I found the flaw in Hao's logic:

By Hao's standards, I was shaman, not human, yet I felt scared as well. Scared of what I had become, and by what rules I must've broken.

Even before the _thud _sounded, I looked up to see something drop from the sky: an iron maiden, a torture device. I could feel the soul of the girl inside as well as the mass of furyoku she held, as well as the furyoku of the X-Laws as they landed - including Lyserg.

"We're too late," Marco said as he stood. The _click _of his gun was unmistakable. "Show me the power you have obtained, and whether or not you are going to help Hao since you came in contact with his powers. Hao's comrades aligned themselves with him after going through what you experienced. You, just watch," I heard him add as a side-note to Lyserg, who whispered back a reply of assent.

"Now, put up your guards!" he declared.

None of us moved, though I glared at him.

Marco huffed. _"Michael!" _he called, his mechanic angel shooting out at us with its sword at the ready.

There was a burst of wind and dust, and in an instant, I had Nix oversouled. Not into wings, no, but something much bigger. I couldn't see the entirety of my spirit - as for once, _I _was perched on _his _shoulder - but I immediately knew what he looked like.

Nix was now twenty-five feet tall (still shorter than everyone else's giant oversoul, probably because I still had far less usable furyoku than them), and somehow humanoid. His legs and torso were strategically covered with an armor that resembled red, steel feathers, and attached to his well-muscled forearms were two slightly curved rods, one for each arm, that ended in deadly spikes at just past his wrist as well as several feet beyond the edge of his elbow, although he still had talons at the end of his fingers. On his back were metallic, red wings that were thin-looking but separated into four different sections that could each pivot in almost every direction. I stood on his right shoulder, next to his head; he had dark hair, something that surprised me, and over his eyes was a flame-red visor. On the front, at the very center, a slightly darker red than the visor, was the symbol of my mark. It was easily unnoticable.

Yoh parted the dust with the energy from his newfound oversoul - a much larger sword surrounded by Amidamaru. He turned around to Anna and Manta. "What?" he asked, grinning and happy-go-lucky. "We're fine."

I couldn't help but smirk at this. If there was anyone needed to relieve the tension, Yoh was the one to call. Now, for the first time, even though my fear, I felt… pumped for a fight, if that was the way to put it, and I could tell that the others were, too. A perfect chance to test out our new strength.

"I will at least commend you on obtaining that much power in such a short time," Marco said, adjusting his glasses.

Yoh was all smiles. "This is just the beginning. We still have a lot to do." He chuckled.

"What does he mean?" I heard Manta ask.

"By coming into contact with Hao," Anna explained, "they learned how small they were and the vast potential that shamans hold. They still have a way to go. They are happy to know that."

Marco turned and began walking away, the rest of the X-Laws following him. I could tell that this would definitely not be the last time the X-Laws confronted us about Hao - whose aura, by the way, left at about that point.

()()()()()()()()

Ryu was howling at the power we all had now.

HoroHoro was so excited, he was cuddling a harassed-looking Kororo. "I don't understand," he said, "but I feel like I've become much bigger, Kororo!"

"I'm glad I joined you guys!" Chocolove yelled, tears of joy running down his face. "It just paid off!"

Faust just stared at Eliza.

Ryu roared again, a little too close to me, and I backed up a bit.

"Bocchama…" Bason breathed. "What just happened?"

Ren did his usual scoff. "You were pretty cool, Bason."

"Cut it out already!" Tokagero screeched at his shaman. "You're too noisy, damn it!"

I won't lie: I _loved _this new power flowing through my veins. However, I didn't entirely enjoy the fact that I had to get used to all new things. Information was rushing through my head from my senses - imagine being able to tell where everything in a reasonable distance is, as well as being able to tell what their basic feelings are and what they're saying. For example, I was aware of Anna giving Yoh some sort of antiquity from his grandfather, and that Amidamaru was being oddly quiet. It's a lot, but I was pretty sure that I could get it under control soon enough.

I remembered Marco walking away, and I felt a pang of disappointment, but I pushed it away; I shouldn't _want _to fight, I wasn't supposed to. But yesterday, even though those girls weren't going to kill me, I attacked them - though they did tick me off, I have to say. I was troubled by this; I had no clue if the rest of the Patch had seen it through their monitor or not. I had no clue what they might do in light of this blatant breach of my rules, _especially _now that I had this furyoku awakened by Hao.

'_**Oh, Nix,' **_I thought, struggling to keep impassive on the outside while I wanted to cry on the inside. _**'What if Silva or one of the others comes and takes me back? I don't want to leave, but I… I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.'**_

All this time, the phoenix had been perched on my shoulder. He lightly nuzzled my hair with his beak. _**'They make you happy, don't they?' **_he asked softly, and for a wild moment I wondered who this bird was and what he had done with my Nix. _**'I think if we left them at this point, you'd regret it. If the King of Spirits hasn't said anything about us yet, I think it's safe to say that we won't have to leave the others until we get to the village. If we didn't leave them, we'd have to explain why we weren't in a team for the rest of the second round. We don't have too long left with them, so we should enjoy it while it lasts.'**_

I resisted the urge to sigh as I reached up to scratch Nix's head. _**'We've had so many close calls… They all know Hao wants something out of me, I know they do, even if they don't say it around me anymore. I… I never want them to know that I've been lying to them this whole time. That I've been keeping secrets. I never want them to know why.'**_


	41. The Hanagumi Again

**DISCLAIMER: Shaman King is not mine.**

_You all are so lucky there was no school today, or else I wouldn't have been able to upload this for another *counts* probably another seven hours. I'm so busy, it scares me. So does driving, even though it's somewhat fun (so far - the classes however, aren't at all). I SHOULD be back on the 14th to do the whole month-aversary thing, but I can't be sure. I'll try!_

_Rereading this chapter, I found it a little boring (probably because I was both editing and watching YouTube...), but in a few chapters everything will start becoming more... plot-y. Fast-paced? Better? Well, around that time we shouldn't be quoting too much from the episodes. :3 Really, I should be writing, but I got Pokemon White on Sunday (just finished the main story last night, so now I'm replaying with Snivy). The Pokemon are... crappy-looking, at least most are. But the game is EPIC (and I have found a new person to fangirl over: N). Sorta interesting note, Dewott has a tuft of hair on the back of its head that looks rather reminiscent to Ren's hair. o.o Maybe it sorta doesn't, but I thought it did XD_

_So, back onto the topic of the chapter: Tori's got upgraded powers, 'member? So she can sorta tell where everything in a certain radius is; I think it's kinda confusing how she says "his aura was nearby" when you can't actually see WHERE the person is... However, (*note, the rest of this sentence has been censored due to plot spoilers*). So, anyway, don't be afraid to review and ask questions, I'll answer them to the best of my ability, and I should be back on Monday :D_

_ANNOUNCEMENT: At the time of updating this (March 11, 2011), this story has 82 reviews. That's the most I've gotten for any story. By the time this story is over, I'm hoping to have over 100 reviews. So, because I'm really greedy and want more reviews, **whoever gives me the 100th review will get a oneshot dedicated to them, and they can choose what topic in the Muffled-verse that the oneshot will be about. This could be a pairing, a side-adventure, nearly anything - and you can choose whose POV it's from (no lemons - or anything pertaining to that -, anything that could give away spoilers for later chapters, and just in case I'm forgetting anything to add, I have to agree to the topic, mostly because my knowledge of SK is limited to the anime and the first 5 volumes (is this too many rules?)). Note that the oneshot would most likely be AU to the actual story. Also, due to my schedule, it could take a while for this to be written and uploaded. If I remember any rules that I've forgotten to put up here I'll include them in the next chapter's A/N.**_

**Forty-One: The Hanagumi Again**

We had come to rest at a rather grassy area near a waterfall that actually provided a soothing background noise. I sat down near the water, my side to it, while Nix was perched on a rock next to me. Everyone else was relaxing around, the boys choosing to be rather close to me, but I was doing my best not to focus on their exact whereabouts; I wanted to learn how to focus my enhanced senses onto certain things instead of taking in everything all at once and having to sort through it all. I didn't like having a lot of things on my mind, which is exactly why I overused the phrase 'pushed the thought away.'

"I wonder where the black sandstorm is that the Seminoa warriors spoke of," Ryu spoke up to Yoh.

"I think we'll know once we cross the valley of the red river," Yoh replied.

"If this place really is the valley of the red river," Ren grumbled.

"Hey Chocolove, know anything about it?" HoroHoro asked. "You're in charge of information, right?"

Chocolove made a pun by hitting HoroHoro's shoulders, but, needless to say, got no laughs.

"If you don't know, just say so," Ren said bluntly.

"That's right!" Manta suddenly exclaimed, and he pulled out his laptop. "Hold on, I'll search for it."

Yoh, Ryu, Ren and I stood up to crowd around the little genius, though I remembered-

"We've searched on the internet before," Ren said, taking the words right out of my mind. "But we didn't find any information on Patch Village."

Manta let out a haughty chuckle that made me want to laugh. "I.T. is evolving every day. Every day, thousands of new articles are uploaded and sorted on this site, Digital Manjien."

On his internet browser homepage were four links: Search, BBS (what was that?), Links, and Fortune Telling. Had I not said before that I adored Manta?

Ren, not hearing Manta right when the boy said '_Appuloudo' _(Japanese for 'upload,' but don't expect me to translate every single Japanese word - already this sentence feels awkward), said the Japanese words for 'Apple road.'

"Ahh! I was about to say that!" Chocolove screamed.

"Hm?" Ren said, not seeing what the comedian was talking about.

"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that," Manta sighed, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

Manta turned to Yoh. "If we look at every article that matches the keyword, I'm sure we'll find something," he said cheerfully.

Yoh smiled. "I see. Then I'm counting on you."

"Leave it to me!"

I smiled and stood up straight and feeling as if my past concerns were just that - the past.

"Jeez," I heard Ren say almost under his breath next to me, and I turned to him, as did Yoh on his other side. "They're going to follow us the whole way," he said, and I looked to see him staring at his sister and Pailong, who were standing on a rock in the middle of the river. (How romantic - in front of a waterfall! Not that romance had ever been something that had really taken my interest, but still, it was kind of sweet.)

"Are you worried about her?" Yoh asked as I turned back to him and Ren.

The Tao boy's face was alight with surprise… and a blush. "Of course!" he said. Annoyed, he crossed his arms and looked away from Yoh, accidentally locking eyes with me. If anything, I think his blush grew a bit, and he jerked his head even more to the left to avoid looking at anyone.

If Ren's eyes hadn't caught mine, I might've been chuckling at the situation, but that simple action had somehow taken away that desire and left me, in a sense, speechless.

"I'm not worried with Anna nearby though," Yoh said, and I wondered if this was one of those male bonding things in which estrogen shouldn't be present, but even though this conversation was probably going to be incredibly funny in afterthought, I felt a little too awkward,

"This and that are totally different things!" Ren barked, turning his head forward and closing his eyes as if he could wish Yoh away. "You don't understand because you don't have any siblings."

Okay. That sentence just made it all the more awkward.

"Really?" Yoh asked.

"Ren," HoroHoro called, and the three of us looked over at him, sitting on the ground. "It's good to have someone who worries about you close by."

Ren didn't answer, and I noticed him looking back to his sister, his face softening after a moment. It sure was… a different look for him. I found it much better than his usual scowl, though.

"You don't want people to know that someone's worried about you, right?" Anna asked, and Ren's eyes went wide as he began to tremble, a slight blush forming on his face. "You are so obvious."

Ren whipped around. "Bakana!"

"Banana!" Chocolove yelled, holding out a banana whose skin peeled almost the whole way off.

There was silence before the comedian grinned. "What's wrong? Don't hold back; laugh."

There was a slight metallic sound, and the banana was sliced in half in Chocolove's hand.

"I was just surprised," Ren growled, his voice vibrating with tension as he loomed in a rage above Chocolove, his Kwan Dao held in a death grip. "Not because it's funny either. It's impossible to reply or even ridicule you!" His body began to shake as if he were literally holding himself back from slaughtering the comedian, and his tongari seemed to have grown in anger. "_How can you tell jokes like that_?"

"Could you keep it down?" Manta said, unconcerned.

"In fact," Ren continued, pushing his weapon in Chocolove's face, "no one can laugh at your jokes even if they wanted to! Is it to feel like you've accomplished something?"

Chocolove made another pun, and Ren couldn't hold himself back anymore as he slashed the comedian up against the wall of the canyon, yelling out _"Chuuka Zanmai!" _over and over again.

"Shut up!" Manta yelled.

Immediately, Ren turned around, completely calm. "So, how is it?"

I blinked, and then I couldn't help it: I laughed. Oddly loudly, too, for someone who can't normally speak, and I put my hands in front of my mouth, but I was unable to stop myself.

I saw Ren's tongari twitch. "Are you laughing _again_?" he asked, his anger appearing to return.

Chocolove was suddenly at my side in a surprisingly quick recovery. "Are you laughing at my jokes?" he asked excitedly, his eyes shining.

I shook my head, still amused, and pointed with one finger at Ren. Immediately, Chocolove seemed to deflate, and Ren bristled.

"Shut up, baka," he growled before turning back to Manta and his laptop.

Well, that little command certainly ruined my mood (leave that to Ren), and I frowned, but I decided to turn to Manta as well.

"It's no use," the boy said. "I couldn't find anything."

"I wonder what we should do now…" Yoh said.

"The black sandstorm…" I heard Amidamaru murmur, and I turned to see him pointing down one of the paths open to us, "is over there."

I blinked, wondering how Amidamaru could be right.

"How do you know?" Yoh asked.

The samurai faltered. "I'm not sure… I just think it is."

"Mm," Yoh agreed. "In that case, let's follow the path that Amidamaru suggested."

"Hey," Chocolove interjected, "is it okay to decide it like that?"

Yoh chuckled. "I think we can trust Amidamaru's intuition."

"We can't move forward by staying here," Ryu pointed out.

"Nothing will happen if we don't act," HoroHoro added, standing up.

"That's how it is," Yoh agreed with another trademark chuckle.

Anna clapped her hands, reminding me of how I got attention. "All right," she said decisively, "now that it's been decided, let's hurry up and go."

Chocolove, the poor, ignorant boy, stood and pointed a finger at her. "Hey, don't order us around like that!"

"Shut up, banana comedian," Anna snapped coldly, and Chocolove fell on his hands and knees in a cloud of despair.

()()()()()()()()

We followed the river down the path Amidamaru had chosen, and the entire time, even though I was trying to focus on what was happening in the immediate area, I could feel Marco and Lyserg's auras nearby. Watching us. Hao was also nearby from time to time, with some of his lackeys. It was unnerving, but I forced myself to stay calm and quiet.

However, that need vanished when the three girls from before - Kanna, Macchi, and Mari; I had looked them up on my Oracle Bell a little while ago - suddenly stood in our way.

"What do you want?" Anna asked.

"All of you stole Hao-sama's secret arts, right?" Macchi asked.

"We have orders to see how much stronger you've become," Kanna added.

My fists clenched, and I wanted nothing more than to pound them into the girls' faces. I couldn't stand their obnoxious attitudes, their overwhelming need to put Hao above all else in the world. Brainwashed idiots.

Normally, this was where Nix would give an input, but for some reason, he stayed quiet, which was all right with me.

"Oi…" HoroHoro breathed. "Are we going to fight them?"

"They were really strong…" Chocolove added.

"Don't be so anxious," Ren scolded confidently. "We've become more powerful."

"Sorry," Anna said to the girls without any remorse, "but we have no intentions of dealing with you."

"Anna?" Yoh asked.

Kanna smirked, and I wanted to pull her cigarette out of her mouth and stick it in her eye. "Scared?" she taunted.

"It's pointless," Anna said. "We are going to win."

Except for Ren, who smirked, everyone's reaction was pretty much the same: a jaw drop.

"Is it okay to say that?" Manta asked worriedly.

"I don't make uncertain assertions," Anna replied.

Macchi giggled, and Kanna said, with amusement, "Why don't you prove it, if you're going to talk so big?"

"Well," Macchi said, holding out her broomstick, "we already know how strong you are since you don't believe in Hao-sama's ideals."

"You're right," Anna agreed. "In that case, Yoh, go deal with them."

"By myself?" Yoh asked, appalled.

"It's more than enough," Anna answered.

"Really?" Yoh asked, not at all assured by this.

Suddenly, the girls started laughing, and I was seriously tempted to stalk up and slap one of them. Maybe Kanna first.

"Looks like you guys were taken back by Hao-sama's power," the blue-haired girl laughed (seriously, who has blue… never mind, but on her it just looked stupid).

"Do you think you've _become _Hao-sama or something?" Macchi asked loudly, almost in hysterics.

"Mari… is amused…" the blonde put in, holding her face in her hands.

"Wouldn't it be better if we all attacked?" Chocolove asked Anna in a loud whisper.

Anna turned around. "Are you scared?"

"I'm scared," the comedian agreed.

"If it's three against one," Macchi said slyly, "it would be over before we could confirm how strong you've become."

"If you don't put up any resistance, Mari will be bored," Mari said, her face still in her hands.

"Fine," Anna answered, not sounding completely pleased. "Then…"

"I'll go," Ren offered immediately. I looked to see him hold out his Kwan Dao and taking a firm battle stance. "This is the perfect opportunity to test Bason's new strength."

Why was I not surprised?

"Madam, please allow me to fight as well," Ryu said, glaring at the girls. "I have to pay them back for last time. I always pay back my debts."

"A man of principle, huh?" Kanna asked. She snapped her fingers, and Ashcroft appeared behind her while Mari and Macchi's oversouls came out as well. "Now, why don't you hurry up and oversoul?"

"Yoh," Anna said expectantly, looking back. "Please take care of everything."

Yoh's expression became determined. "Okay."

Before too long, Yoh, Ryu, and Ren had oversouled and were standing across from the trio of girls while the rest of us stood on the sidelines. I crossed my arms as I used my senses to evaluate that their furyoku levels were just about the same now, which was a big improvement compared to before. It still didn't stop me from worrying, though.

As one, the girls let out their attacks, which combined into a sort of greyish ball of energy that rushed at Yoh and the others. The three boys stood their ground with the oversouls out in front of them, and the energy from the attack dissipated as it was blocked.

I blinked, not anticipating this, nor the exclamations of surprise from the girls. At this exact moment, though, I felt Hao's aura appear near Lyserg's and Marco's, and my fist tightened. I focused even more intently on the battle.

"Amazing!" Manta exclaimed.

"They kept up with those girls!" Chocolove added excitedly.

HoroHoro's fists were tightened, and he looked and sounded excited. "I have that kind of power inside me too?"

"Looks like you guys have really become stronger," Kanna admitted begrudgingly around her cigarette.

"Now we've gotten used to it," Yoh said.

"Yeah," Ren added haughtily. "I'm done warming up."

Mari held up her purplish oversoul. "I can finally get serious."

"We'll teach you that our real powers aren't like this," Macchi said, not looking at all daunted.

She and Mari suddenly teleported to either side of the boys, while Ashcroft came at them head on and stabbed at Yoh, who absorbed the blow with his shield oversoul before backing up in order to catch the counterattack with his katana. He struggled against the armor for a moment before he managed to push it back. Ashcroft jumped into the air, and Yoh jumped after him, but my attention was caught by Macchi's oversoul.

The skeleton jack-o'-lantern had thrown rib-like projectiles at Ren, but the Tao just smirked and slashed at them, effectively stopping the attack. The ribs immediately reattached to Macchi's oversoul, which then jumped into the air as if to ready an attack.

At the same time, Mari's oversoul rushed about and shot at Ryu, who somehow managed to dodge the bullets multiple times before he slashed and stopped the bullets altogether.

"_Ashcroft!" _Kanna yelled, and her oversoul spun its lance, creating a giant black sphere of energy which shot at Yoh.

"_Halloween Nightmare!" _Macchi commanded, and her oversoul's body started spinning as it headed towards Ren.

"_Cross Fire," _Mari said, and her oversoul held up two guns and shot them, the bullets entwining dangerously.

With ease, Ryu summoned the Yamata no Orochi, and the white serpentine heads swirled around the oncoming attack and shattered it before attacking Mari's oversoul head-on.

"_Chou Golden Chuuka Zanmai!" _Ren yelled, sending lightning-quick jabs at the spinning jack-o'-lantern with enough force to stop its gyration before he stabbed it with enough force to send it backwards.

"_Shinkuu Buttagiri!" _Yoh slashed out, and the incredible red attack sliced through the black sphere and hit Ashcroft, causing the armor to break at the waist into two pieces and land with a crash behind Kanna.

The boys were left standing there, smiling their confidence, and even though I felt oppressed by the presence of Hao and two of the X-Laws, their sureness was a little contagious.

"This can't be…" Kanna breathed as Ashcroft reassembled itself.

"It's not over yet!" Macchi yelled as her oversoul glowed again and stood.

Kanna snapped her fingers. _"Double Splash!" _she commanded, and Ashcroft seemed to melt as its height increased.

"_Pumpkin Dumpkin," _Macchi urged, and her oversoul seemed to become almost a sort of bright orange arrow. (If it weren't for the fact that these girls were still deadly, the name of that attack might've had a bigger impact on me than just being weird.)

"_Reverse Puppet," _Mari called, and her oversoul was immersed in purple.

In an instant, a giant Ashcroft as well as a giant jack-o'-lantern were standing over the boys, as well as a giant doll with the head of a… bazooka.

The girls screamed and their oversouls attacked, creating a large sphere of white light. The amount of furyoku was definitely nothing to sneeze at, and even though I had to squint, I realized that the waves of energy weren't nearly as disruptive to me as they were before I entered the Chou Senji Ryakketsu.

I had to hold up my arms to protect my eyes, but I heard a yell of determination, as well as felt an increase of furyoku, and when the light dissipated, I looked to see a giant, robotic-looking Bason absolutely _towering _over everything else. Awed, my jaw dropped, and even though I couldn't really see him from my vantage point, I sensed Ren standing importantly on Bason's shoulder.

"Smash it, Bason!" I just barely heard him order, and Bason punched Macchi's oversoul just about out of existence.

I remembered seeing Ren fight with a 'giant' Bason in the preliminaries against Yoh. The size Bason had been in entirety _then _was smaller than Bason's fist _now_.

Another rise in furyoku caught my attention, a white, wheeled sort-of chariot with eight white serpentine heads. Tokagero was situated at the bottom for some reason I wasn't sure, and Ryu rode atop the main body of the oversoul. At an order from Ryu, the serpents rushed out and bit Mari's oversoul to dust.

Next, Amidamaru appeared, at least three times the size of Ashcroft. I saw Kanna back up.

"_Amidaryuu Shinkuu Buttagiri!" _Yoh yelled as he and Amidamaru slashed out, but I immediately sensed something was wrong, and my thought was proved as Yoh's trademark red slashed veered off and hit the cliff instead of what would have been a direct hit on Ashcroft.

Kanna wasted no time in ordering Ashcroft to attack, and I saw Yoh call out something to Amidamaru before he held out the antiquity that Anna had given him, oversoul glowing around it.

"_Amidaryuu Gokoujin!" _the two of them yelled out, slashing a red X out with two swords that absolutely demolished Ashcroft.

I blinked, startled. Yoh had almost… preformed a double medium.

After a moment, Ryu huffed. "It's over."

"…Why do I have wheels?" Tokagero asked loudly.

"It's all thanks to you, Bocchama," Bason boomed in response to something Ren said, who was too far away for me to hear, being all the way up on his spirit's shoulder. "I am pleased with this power myself."

"Are you okay, Amidamaru?" Yoh called up to his samurai.

"It's strange," the warrior breathed, though his voice boomed like Bason's had. "I feel like I can become even greater."

"I see," Yoh called up happily. "That's good to hear."

"That was amazing, Yoh-kun!" Manta praised, running up to Yoh, the rest of us following. "Where did you learn that move?"

Yoh smiled. "I just thought of it."

"You just thought of it?" Manta repeated.

Yoh scratched the back of his head in what looked like both modesty and giddiness. "I thought it might be possible with my overflowing furyoku." He chuckled.

"We…" Kanna began, catching my attention, at least. "We believed in Hao-sama's ideals. We understand Hao-sama's powers better than you guys, yet…"

"Why were we defeated?" Macchi asked, sounding as if she were holding back tears.

"Mari… doesn't understand…"

"Hao's heart," Anna replied quietly yet seriously. "That was your limit. There are no limits for an unrestrained heart. That is why Yoh can become even stronger. In other words," she went on in a stronger voice, "you were assimilated by Hao. Yoh, however, didn't lose sight of himself. The match was over before it started."

"What did you say?" Macchi demanded.

"You're annoying," Kanna spat, and I was reminded yet again of how I wanted to stick her cigarette in her eye.

"You talk big," Mari accused - and that was when things went from annoying to excruciating.

I whipped around suddenly as Spirit of Fire appeared without warning in a burst of fire. I watched stiffly as the giant spirit brought Hao in front of its face via its hand before the Asakura himself jumped at least thirty feet to the ground before landing safely in a puff of air. A smirk was on his face, and as usual when he appeared, his eyes met mine.

I was still partly afraid of him and what he was capable of doing to my friends, but I was mostly defiant as I glared back.

The eye contact lasted no more than a second, however, before he turned his attention to his subordinates. "Nice work. That's enough," he praised evenly.

He began walking slowly but steadily toward us, through our group. All of us stared at him with malice, ready to attack, though I could somehow tell that Hao wasn't planning on doing anything physically damaging. Which only left psychological warfare, which would either be aimed at me, Yoh, or the both of us.

I couldn't help but feel relief when he passed me, though the feeling quickly went away when he stopped beside Yoh, each boy looking in the opposite direction. Yoh's eyes and face were hard, a mirror of Hao's, and I wanted to cry out and stop the pyromaniac shaman from doing what was going to come next.

But I could do nothing.

"I saw your strength," Hao said, loud enough for everyone to hear but still very calmly. "The results were better than I had expected."

At this, Yoh turned his head to Hao, who continued after a slight sigh. "I will have you return that body back to me real soon, though."

Yoh let out a breath of confusion as Hao turned to him, his eyes narrowed slightly in a sort of haughty intenseness.

"That body… was originally mine," I heard him whisper before he continued walking.

Yoh faltered before turning after him. "What did you say?" he asked in shock.

"Until next time," Hao called, "little brother."

The auras of astonishment that radiated from everyone was almost enough to completely bombard me as Hao and the girls disappeared in a swirl of fire.

"…Little brother?" Ren repeated.

"Yoh-kun, what does he mean by that? Little brother?" Manta asked in frightened confusion, and this coming from him made me feel all the more horrible by the fact that I wasn't fazed by the fact itself, but that I had known it long before anyone else here.

Yoh didn't answer.

Mikihisa's aura suddenly appeared, and I turned to him, startled, a second before he spoke, his voice muffled a bit by his mask. "Well, what he says is actually true."

The man sat on a rock in the middle of a small body of water. "Hao and Yoh are twins."

The information was like a physical blow, even to me.

"_Twins?"_


	42. The Double Medium

**DISCLAIMER: Shaman King is not mine. And I'm far too tired to put in a word of humor here.**

_*headdesk* This had better be the edited chapter. I keep the chapters in two places, on my computer and on my thumbdrive (I'm now soley using my thumbdrive because this hunk of laptop, while still very usable, is starting to iritate me, though it's still got lots of life in it), but this SHOULD be the edited one. No big differences between them, and I only went over it once, but I really don't want to find out I uploaded the wrong one, as I have NO TIME during the week to fix it. I'm already cutting into my study time. :P Be thankful you speshul peoples._

_The Review Contest is still going on strong, so far. :P We have about 16 reviews to go, since I got two last time... Okay, I'll sound annoying here, but I know people read this, but y'all don't review... Jeezum I'm such a hypocrite XD_

_*pokes chapter* X-Laws... Lyserg... First time we hear about ze Iron Maiden Jeanne... (*eyetwitch* Jeanne... I may not have read the manga but I know who she ends up with -.- Doesn't make me happy.)_

_Oh, Great Spirits, why must I have to go do History homework now... I wanna read/write/play Pokemon... Let's see *pokes chapter again* I don't think I need to explain anything right now; if any important questions come up in REVIEWS (*coughcoughahemcough* XD) I'll answer them in the next chapter's A/N, and of course I'll answer PMs._

_Enjoy! Oh, by the way, today is March 14: 3.14. Pi Day! :D_

**Forty-Two: The Double Medium**

"Wait a minute," Ren snapped, holding up his Kwan Dao. "Who are you?"

"He's master's father," Ryu explained quietly.

"Father?" Ren repeated.

Mikihisa stood and held up a hand. "Yo."

The man moved from his spot on the rock and came to us on dry land, and we all gathered loosely around him. I stood a little bit behind everyone, trying not to draw attention. I felt so awkward, knowing what Mikihisa was going to talk about while no one else did. If it wouldn't have looked suspicious for that point in time, I think I would have seriously considered acknowledging that my time with everyone was up and hitting the road as fast as possible.

"I thank you for always taking care of my Yoh," Mikihisa began with a bow. With his robe and mask, he looked incredibly like a bird. "Although he's a troublesome kid, please keep looking after him.

"That's okay-" HoroHoro began sheepishly, only to be interrupted by Ren.

"That doesn't matter!" the Tao exclaimed. "Let's hear the rest of the story."

"Yeah," Yoh said. "What do you mean by twins?" he asked in confusion.

Mikihisa let out an _hmm _sound and crossed his arms. "So you want to hear it?"

"You're the one who started this conversation!" Ren yelled, his tongari twitching in anger again.

"Well," Mikihisa said, grasping the chin of his mask in thought, "because it's a rather shocking story… It all started thirteen years ago…"

I listened without the same attentiveness as the others. To make a somewhat long story short, Hao reincarnated back into the Asakura bloodline, and the family knew it, as well as the fact that Hao had split into twins. On the night Yoh's mother Keiko gave birth, Hao was born first, but they didn't know if it was him or the innocent Yoh. In either case, they had no choice to kill him; needless to say, they failed. Spirit of Fire came to whisk Hao away after a few parting words about the former monk's 'other half,' and in the process Mikihisa's face was burned.

"Well, that's why I'm wearing this mask," Mikihisa finished, oddly… odd.

"That's not what we were talking about," HoroHoro muttered.

"Hao and Yoh-kun are twins?" I heard Manta breathe.

"Master…" Ryu said, seeming to be nearly speechless.

"Man," HoroHoro said, probably in an attempt to lighten the mood as he put his hands behind his head, "your family is so troublesome!" He seemed to know that he'd failed in his effort as soon as he was finished.

There was a tense silence for a few moments before Yoh let out an almost comical sigh that shouldn't have surprised me so much. "It's no use," he said, scratching his head and half-grimacing. "Even though you just said we're twins, it still hasn't sunk in."

"Weren't you just full of anxiety and couldn't talk?" HoroHoro exploded. "_God, _you're so confusing!"

"Hey," Yoh continued, "what's going to happen if we're twins?"

This caught HoroHoro off-guard. "Who cares?"

"Only one person can become the Shaman King," Ren pointed out (what a secret that was!). "In other words, everyone's an enemy."

"I'll always be by your side, master, no matter where we go," Ryu assured Yoh.

"That's your choice!" Ren snipped, his tongari seeming to pulse in annoyance.

"Of course," Ryu agreed.

Yoh turned to me. "What do you think, Tori?"

I blinked, trying not to let anything show on my face. I shrugged. _'You can't help who you're brothers with.' _

Before anyone could reply to this (thank goodness), Chocolove spoke up, and we all turned to him. "Can I say something? Aren't you guys being a little too easygoing?"

"Eh?" Ryu asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"For me, I'd like to avoid working with Hao's sibling," the comedian replied, waving his hand before he began walking away. "Goodbye!" he called cheerfully, waving, and I knew then and there that this was some sort of a joke.

"Take care!" Ryu wished.

"Yeah, you too!" Chocolove replied, but then he was immediately back. "Hey, don't send me off on a journey like that!" he snapped.

"Stop thinking about stupid things," Ryu scolded. "Besides, Hao transmigrated on his own. It has nothing to do with master."

Chocolove tsk'ed. "That's why you're so easygoing. I understand this isn't a normal situation. But twins are twins. That's where the problem is."

"What do you mean by that?" HoroHoro asked.

It was at about this point that I started getting a headache, but I just crossed my arms, wishing that we could just get this conversation over with. It was also at this point that I realized the headache wasn't just coming on from the argument, but also from the fact that, just at the edge of my senses, I felt people approaching…

I really wished I could reign in my senses. You could argue that it was useful, but I just didn't want to know more than I already did. I wished I hadn't gone in the Chou Senji Ryakketsu, but there was no point in moping over something you couldn't change.

"Use your head," Chocolove scoffed, bringing me back to the 'here.' "Since they're twins, Yoh's an accomplice of Hao."

"Baka!" HoroHoro shot back. "They were different people the second they were born."

"They just happened to be born into two separate bodies," Chocolove continued as if the Ainu hadn't spoken.

I wondered if the three of them could tell that everyone was listening to them.

"So like I said, master is master," Ryu said.

"You're wrong," Chocolove argued. "They were once one. That's why Hao said he'll come and retrieve it. That's what half of the body means, right? Half of it. Half of the body. In other words, Yoh _is _Hao."

Ryu grabbed Chocolove's shirt and got straight up into his face. "Stop using that stupid logic, you bastard!" he snapped.

"Actually," Yoh said, trying to stop the fight, "it might be just how Chocolove said."

"Yoh-kun?" Manta asked as everyone's attention turned to the Asakura boy.

Yoh scratched his head. "Well, I guess that's that. If Hao wants to retrieve the other half of his body, it might be safer for you guys if you weren't around me."

Though this was totally something Yoh would say, it caught me off-guard. What made him think that any of us would want to just abandon him?

"Stop talking nonsense!" HoroHoro barked.

"Well, actually, it's rather easy to understand," Yoh explained. "Nobody else should have issues with Hao. Since he seems to be my problem. Right?"

_Partly mine as well, _I couldn't help but think, but I immediately hated myself for thinking such a thing at this time. Hao had far more 'concern' for his brother than for what I could offer him.

At this time, my senses clicked, but I did nothing.

The others were speechless, probably wondering how they could possibly be hearing this right. Everyone here was so completely selfless to each other (even Ren, in a sense), but to hear Yoh say it with such a calm air was unnerving.

"Yoh-kun…?" Manta asked again, but Yoh just turned to him and chuckled.

"You aren't going to deny it?" Chocolove asked seriously. "We're saying that you're Hao."

"Yeah," Yoh agreed, looking to be on the verge of… not sadness, but something close to it, maybe. "I won't, since that seems to be true." He chuckled.

Chocolove was speechless.

Yoh turned to look at Amidamaru, and the conversation seemed to be dropped, at least for the moment. I took a look at the samurai as well to see that the spirit's body was sort of shimmering and pulsing, and he was staring at nothing.

"It seems that it's only a matter of time before he becomes a Holy Spirit," Anna noted as Yoh began to walk towards the samurai.

I felt the presence of the X-Laws even before that odd light that came with them appeared (that was what had made my senses click), and I glared up at the edge of the cliff, where the group was standing with their oversouls behind them. Needless to say, as soon as the light was visible, the others were preparing for a battle.

"We didn't come here to fight!" Lyserg called as he came to stand on the edge of the cliff; the shock of the others' was incredibly palpable to me. "Jeanne-sama needs your powers."

"Who is this Jeanne?" Ren demanded.

"She's an existence that will lead us to justice," Lyserg explained. (Boy, was he brainwashed.)

"My, my," HoroHoro sneered. "Looks like you've got X-Laws etched pretty deeply on your plating."

Lyserg seemed unconcerned with this comment. "If you meet Jeanne-sama, you guys will know her greatness as well. The existence that is closest to God… She's a person who is indeed worthy of becoming the savior."

"In other words, she's an imposter," Ren noted.

"I won't forgive you guys for letting an imposter get to my Lyserg!" Ryu snapped.

Lyserg bowed his head slightly. "Poor things… They can't even believe in God. But it's okay," he relented. "Jeanne-sama will save you all."

"You mean if we help you guys out, right?" HoroHoro yelled.

"A condition?" Ren scoffed. "Some savior she is."

"It's not a condition," Lyserg argued reasonably. "It's atonement. You guys are the same as that sinful Hao. Since you've obtained the same power he has."

_What a load of crap! _I wanted to scream. Hao… We weren't the same as him, but I couldn't make up my mind about him: whether to be angry at him for the massacre five hundred years ago, or to pity him for the way he turned out. He was a manipulative son of a bitch, though, no doubt about that.

"On top of that," Lyserg continued, "in Yoh-kun's case, he's half of Hao. By agreeing to help Jeanne-sama, your sins will be forgiven. Lend your powers to the Gate of Babylon."

"Wha?" HoroHoro said in confusion. "What's that?"

"It's the holy power that will eliminate evil from this world," Lyserg explained. "The only thing that can end Hao's existence is Jeanne-sama's Gate of Babylon alone."

"That's some confidence!" Ren called.

"It's a fact," Lyserg quipped. His eyes narrowed after Ren's did. "If you help us, your sins will be forgiven. You guys don't think too fondly of Hao, right?"

"Yeah," Yoh agreed. "It's true that we don't like Hao."

"Then-" Lyserg started happily.

"However," Yoh interrupted sternly. "The same goes for you guys, too."

"…Yoh-kun?" Lyserg murmured, looking disappointed. "I see," he sighed, face falling even further. "What a pity. If you will not help Jeanne-sama," he went on, "then we cannot let the ones who smell the same as Hao roam free."

"Smell the same, huh?" I heard Yoh whisper, and in spite of the spite of the situation, something about how he said it made me want to laugh. I bit the inside of my cheek and turned back to the conversation.

"Especially you," Lyserg was saying. "I will not say that your personality is the same as Hao's. However, the truth that you are half of Hao cannot be changed."

"Yeah," Yoh agreed. "Somebody said similar things to me earlier. Just like you guys said, I'm probably Hao. I don't really understand it, but if that's how I was born, then I can't help it. But I'm me."

"'I'm me'?" Lyserg repeated.

"Yeah, there's no mistake in that," Yoh supplied. "Since the person himself said that." He chuckled at his own logic before looking back up at the X-Laws. "Well, I guess it's like that, Lyserg. If you're going to do it, let's make it so we're all happy with it." He grinned.

A short, tense silence followed this remark before HoroHoro stepped out in front of Yoh and crouching into a ready stance. "A good fight?" he grunted. "Yeah, right."

"It's gonna take a bit more time, right master?" Ryu asked, and I remembered Amidamaru, who was unable to fight.

"You sure about this?" Yoh asked. "If you stay with me, you probably won't be able to take it easy."

"Hmph," Ren said, his Kwan Dao across his shoulder. "It's better than getting bored."

It was at this point that I tardily realized that I was probably going to get dragged into this as well. I could opt to back out, I supposed, but I didn't want to look as if I didn't support Yoh's being Hao's twin, which was actually something I'd been… 'accepting' of since I learned that he wasn't as cruel as the pyromaniac. I mentally steeled myself and prepared for battle.

There were four oversouls that were present behind the X-Laws, but I didn't know if there would possibly be more. It was an obvious fact that really needn't be shared, but I knew I wasn't nearly as strong as the others, even with Nix doing most of the work, so I supposed that I could tag-team against one of the X-Laws.

In any case, I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Lyserg let out a breath before he turned around. "You guys are fools." (What a coincidence, I thought the same of him.) "It was your last chance."

"Don't worry," Yoh called. "We'll grab our chances with our own hands."

"That will be impossible," Marco said as Lyserg walked out of my line of sight. Instantly, the tension was higher than it was already. "Because you people are going to die here," he said as he lifted his gun, the other three X-Laws present doing the same and shooting out their oversouls at us.

Immediately, we all oversouled, sans Yoh, and Nix held out his arms to try to keep one of the angel-looking oversouls from hitting us, but HoroHoro's oversoul, which was beside me, brought up a shield of ice, which effectively held the punch from the opponent.

"What are you doing there, Chocolove?" HoroHoro called out, and I risked a glance to join in with my senses to take in that the comedian was still here, atop Mic.

"I thought you didn't want to stay with him?" Ryu said mockingly.

"Shut up!" Chocolove barked.

I vaguely realized that Faust had took Anna and the others away with his new oversoul of Eliza as HoroHoro's oversoul raised its arms and shot out thick chunks of ice at 'our' X-Laws's oversoul.

"It appears that you can fight somewhat," the X-Laws man noted. "Just like Hao."

"Think what you want!" HoroHoro shot back angrily.

Though I was hesitant about battling, I order Nix to attack (not really knowing what his attacks were). He extended his metallic arms like Kororo, and immediately a barrage of flaming, feathered arrows sped toward the archangel. Several of them hit a couple of HoroHoro's ice chunks, though, causing the two to become a puddle on the ground. I wasn't really helping much.

"Sorry!" I apologized to HoroHoro. Probably not only due to the fact that Nix was preoccupied with attacking, my voice was shaky.

HoroHoro cast a glance at me. "It's all ri-"

Suddenly, there was a quick flash, and I felt a pain in my stomach; it was Nix's pain, but suddenly, his shoulder wasn't under my feet anymore, and I was falling.

"_Tori_!"

The first thing that surrounded me was cold, and I saw an ice shield form between us and the X-Law oversoul. But then, Kororo's fingers touched my mark, and if I were united with Nix, I would have screamed. Somehow, I thrashed and fell out of the oversoul's grip, and after a moment of feeling nothing but wind, I felt the bones in my left arm crunch.

Somehow, I didn't hear the _thud _for a few moments. I didn't hear much of anything, but the pain in my arm was incredible. Without thinking at all, I put my right hand to my left arm and pushed furyoku into it.

I didn't know if I completely healed it, because the next thing I was aware of was nothing.

()()()()()()

For the second time, I awoke to see Faust.

I was leaning against the canyon wall, but the stones poking into my back were felt much better than the sharp sting in my arm, which I noticed was bound in gauze. Apparently, I hadn't healed it completely, but it couldn't have been more than-

"It's probably a sprain," Faust explained to me. "You took a long fall; I'm incredibly surprised it's not something worse."

"Tori-kun!" Manta was suddenly there, and I blinked. "Are you all right?"

I was about to lift my hands when I belatedly realized that the left one was bound. I hesitated before nodding slowly. I could sign with one hand, though the process would be slow. _'What-' _I stopped, realizing that I needed two hands to sign 'happened.'

Manta seemed to know what I wanted to say though, and he explained as everyone came closer - er, most everyone sans Anna and Ren. "I saw it - that dark-haired guy had his oversoul shoot some sort of white light at your oversoul, but you just… _bounced _out of Kororo's hand when HoroHoro tried to catch you. Faust came over to protect you, and Yoh - Yoh did this cool… light thing… and drove the X-Laws away." Unsure, he turned to Yoh. "What exactly was it?"

"Yeah," Chocolove agreed. "Come on, tell us."

Yoh hesitated and scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Well, I can't really tell you since I just thought of it on the spot."

"It's a double medium," Anna explained. There were sounds of confusion (certainly not from me, even though I really wished I hadn't been out for the fight), and she went on. "First, he oversouled Amidamaru into Harusame. Then he oversouled the whole thing again into the antiquity. It can only be done because Amidamaru has evolved into a Holy Spirit."

"Holy Spirit?" Manta repeated.

"I guess you can call it Spirit of Sword for now," she told Yoh. "Amidamaru's entire body is the spirit of a sword now. Once a spirit turns into a Holy Spirit, the weight of its feelings is totally different. He's amazing."

"It only looked like a stupid oversoul to me," Ren said haughtily as I reached out my senses to study Amidamaru's new power-

"Spirit of Sword, huh?" Yoh said, but I wasn't looking at him. He and Amidamaru spoke, but I didn't listen.

Faust noticed my look, and while the others were bickering like always, he spoke to me quietly. "Excuse the expression, but you look like you've seen a ghost. Are you in pain anywhere else?"

I blinked and shook my head 'no' before giving the doctor a reassuring smile. This was nothing that he could fix, anyway.

It wasn't something really _wrong, _per se, but… the furyoku that had come with the Chou Senji Ryakketsu, the power that made my senses sharper… had dulled. I wasn't sure if it was because of the fall, or perhaps my loss of oversoul from an attack, but usually furyoku came back after resting. Passing out actually made it a little stronger. But the furyoku I had used to make Nix's giant oversoul (not _all_ the power I had gotten from Hao's book, but most of it) was just… gone.


	43. The Iron Maiden, Jeanne

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. Only my own OCs.**

_Decided to update early: tomorrow I'm getting my teeth pulled -.- Reasons for uploading early: A, I'll be in too much pain/too muddled to upload; B, I'll be too hopped up on painkillers to know what I'm writing in the author note. :P So you all get rewarded for my pain. Woo-freaking-hoo._

_Jeanne... *growls* Don't get me wrong, I can tolerate you as a character (though you and your X-Laws are rather hypocritical...), but I know what you end up as at the end of the manga. *eyetwitch* (damn me and wanting to know spoilers...) *clutches Ren* MINE._

_I can't think of too much to say for notes. I really need to get a move-on and write, I'm running out of chapters to upload for y'all. I will tell you all though that this is probably the last chapter that follows the episode the entire way - so if y'all want to, you should brush up on your eps. :P If ya want._

_*Special dedication to all victims of the earthquake-tsunami.*_

**Forty-Three: The Iron Maiden, Jeanne**

"Whoa!" Manta exclaimed. "What a lively town!"

After the incident with the X-Laws, we had continued on our way, and we were now standing in one of those towns that you didn't bother to learn the name of. Still, though, a lot of people were walking about - shamans, I could tell. Still, it was as good a place as any to stop and rest, even if there was the risk of being challenged.

Yoh chuckled. "We can finally have our first good meal in a long time! Right, Anna?"

I looked to see that Anna was already shopping - for a keychain. Yoh, Manta, and HoroHoro went to bug her while I stayed with the others, looking around with my eyes and silently counting.

Sure enough, about twenty-five seconds later, Ryu spoke up. "My lady! Master!"

Ren let out a sort of hiss. "What's with this town?"

I could feel their tenseness as they noticed all the Oracle Bells, but I couldn't do it as clearly as before. As I had feared, the furyoku I had used when Nix's giant form broke was absolutely gone, though I didn't know how that was possible under normal circumstances - though, _I _wasn't a normal circumstance.

We went to the local restaurant (this place must've been some old Hollywood movie set, because its front door was a set of those tiny swing-doors like in old westerns, not that I've actually seen any of those movies). Inside, it was very tense, but I paid it no mind, as I was used to this behavior from the previous Shaman Fights. I sat on one side of our booth with Anna, Yoh, Manta and Faust, while directly opposite me was Ren, with Chocolove, HoroHoro, and Ryu.

I couldn't help but cast a small glance at HoroHoro, though he was paying me no attention and was instead looking around. Since I'd fallen, he'd hardly spoken a word to me, which was, needless to say, weird. But I supposed he felt guilty about allowing me to fall. I knew I should assure him that I was all right, that there were no hard feelings, but with one of my hands stuck close to my chest, there was no real way to talk to him, nor was there any way to get him alone if I merged with Nix, since we were traveling.

"Bocchama…" Bason breathed, appearing behind his master, whose arms were crossed. "Everyone here is participating in the Shaman Fight."

_No duh! _I thought, but I just sat there and took a sip of my tea.

"But, if shamans meet," Ren began, "they're supposed to hold a Shaman Fight. However, there are no signs of that."

There was a sudden loud laugh from a table a little ways away from us, and I turned to see a man lounging there, his feet on the table. He wore jeans, and a blue fur coat.

"Who are you?" Ren barked.

"I'm surprised that kids like you were able to make it this far," the man said, and now that I thought about it, I remembered watching a small part of one of his preliminary matches. I believe his name was… Pino.

"Kids?" Ren said in disbelief, his jaw dropping and his tongari sticking up.

"Oh!" Bason breathed, though I don't think anyone else heard him when he said, "Bocchama's spiky hair has stiffened!"

I _just _managed to hold myself back from snorting in laughter (this was _not _the place to laugh, trust me), and decided to ignore the comment from Bason as I turned to… Pino, again.

"Listen," the blond man said. "All who are gathered here are among the strongest of the shamans who've made it to the second preliminary. Of course, there are many god-class shamans."

"God-class?" Anna repeated.

"What's that?" HoroHoro asked.

Pino looked like he couldn't believe he was talking to us, but he humored us nonetheless. "It's the same class as a god, of course." He looked up pointedly at me. "These people could give you kids a fight that would leave with more than just a messed-up arm."

"You bastard!" HoroHoro screeched. "Are you _trying _to pick a fight?"

"Now, now," Manta said. "In other words, there are many powerful shamans here, right?"

"Yeah," the blond man replied. "What'd happen if you carelessly got into a Shaman Fight with a god-class opponent? You'd be in a tight spot." Again, he looked pointedly at the gauze around my arm, and I began to feel a small dislike for the man. "In other words, while you don't know your opponent's cards, you'll want to keep moving, rather than cause any unnecessary trouble."

Ren huffed in amusement. "So they can't fight unless they know their opponent's strength? Some god-class they are."

"You're wrong," the man rebuked. "Listen. The one who becomes the Shaman King will have to be perfect in every possible way. Perfection is… to win, by any means necessary."

Halfway through that, I had found myself nodding slightly, but I forced myself to stop.

"Well," he continued, looking at all of us, "if you have so many allies with you, you probably wouldn't understand."

"This is nonsense!" Ren barked, standing up and beginning to walk stiffly out.

"Where're you going?" HoroHoro called.

"Somewhere where he isn't," Ren replied.

HoroHoro sighed, standing up. "I'll go bring him back."

"Wait!" Manta called, crawling over the table in haste to come after him. "I'm going too."

I stood as well, not really wanting Manta to go out into the street (even if he did have 'protection'), but also because I felt a twinge of worry for Ren, like something wasn't right in the air.

HoroHoro looked at me with an unreadable expression for barely a second before he replied to the both of us, "Sure," and he led the way outside, Chocolove also following us.

Though it was getting late, there were still a lot of people congested around the restaurant. HoroHoro turned to us. "We'll go this way," he offered, pointing to the right and indicating himself and Chocolove. "You guys go that way." With that, he disappeared into the crowd.

I found myself staring after the direction he had gone in for a second, but Manta tugged on my free hand. "C'mon, Tori-kun," he said, leading the way.

We hadn't gone more than three feet before I dimly sensed Ren as well as Hao, and I broke out into a run, for once not caring whether or not Manta could keep up.

I caught up to Ren fast, as the crowd seemed to be only around the restaurant, but he didn't seem to hear me, because he was muttering to himself: "…I will defeat Yoh… and become the Shaman King."

That was all I heard before Hao decided to make himself known. "I like that, Tao Ren."

Ren stopped short, and I stopped just behind him; he knew I was there, that I was sure of, but the bigger priority was the Asakura that had just appeared, about ten or so feet in front of us.

"You're different form the others," Hao put in. "Let's join forces."

Ren's gasp was audible.

"The Chou Senji Ryakketsu is something that I created," Hao informed. "I can teach you everything, including skills to surpass that. Because in your current state… you will never be able to surpass Yoh."

I would have chewed Hao out mentally, but Ren's words stopped me short.

"I… will defeat Yoh." His golden eyes flashed a moment before his Kwan Dao did. "Of course, you as well!"

"Don't, Ren-kun!" Manta yelled, grabbing onto Ren's arm and somehow restraining the Tao with his small weight. "He's-"

"Let go! Let me go!" Ren growled.

"…You again?" Hao said, looking to Manta.

"W-what?" Manta sounded scared. "You're Yoh-kun's big brother, right? I know that, you know."

Hao stared. "I wonder why Yoh is keeping you as his friend."

'_**Hao!' **_I snapped, unable to stop myself from stalking forward a few steps.

I'm not sure how it happened exactly, but suddenly Hao was right in front of me. And even before a really registered that, his hand was on my _cheek_. Instantly, I felt cold everywhere but where his skin touched mine; my cheek felt like it was on fire, and sudden shaking gripped me.

"What happened to you?" he murmured quietly, his ebony eyes concerned and curious but also still haughty.

"_Don't touch her_!" Ren's Kwan Dao suddenly swooped down in front of me, but Hao was already several feet away.

"Tori-chan is mine, Tao Ren." The Asakura smirked. "And you will be mine eventually."

In a swirl of fire, Hao was gone.

A moment later, HoroHoro and Chocolove ran up, but I was too dazed to fully care. Instead, I was unsure about how I was still standing.

"That bastard Hao!" HoroHoro snarled, and I looked to see that his face was etched in both fury and concern as he came up to me. "What did he say to you?"

"That's none of your business," Ren said suddenly, his voice forceful but quiet.

"What?" HoroHoro said in confusion, turning around to face him.

"It is our business," said a feminine voice, and I looked to see a woman in a fur coat with odd antlers in the hood hold up some sort of ceremonial disc. She was sitting on the shoulder of a man who was probably twice the height of Ryu and thrice as muscled. _"Oversoul, Vojanoi!"_

A blue haze of oversoul surrounded the disc, resembling a frog, and a block of ice filled with water was suddenly around Chocolove, cutting the boy off from air. The comedian thrashed and flailed in the water, his grunts of panic muffled, and I was afraid for him, but I couldn't move.

"My spirit is the Holy Spirit of water, Vojanoi," the woman explained seriously. "This oversoul can even control moisture in the air.

"You bastard!" HoroHoro yelled, raising his fist. "What's the meaning of this?"

"I want to defeat Hao's subordinates now," the woman replied, moving off the man's shoulder, now standing on the ground.

"Hao's subordinates?" Manta repeated incredulously.

"You've got the wrong-" HoroHoro began, but the man didn't bother to listen.

"_Oversoul… Dehit the Viking," _the man rumbled, putting a Viking helmet on his head with a massive hand. With a purplish glow, wood-and-iron armor surrounded his chest, shoulders, arms, and hands and a large axe appeared in his right hand.

With surprising speed, he roared and rushed at Chocolove. In a split-second, HoroHoro oversouled Kororo into his ikupasui and blocked the attack.

Pino suddenly ran up and held out his arms in an attempt to make peace. "This is a misunderstanding!"

Neither HoroHoro nor the Viking-shaman did anything but continue to stay at a standstill.

"Like I said," Pino repeated. "It's a misunderstanding."

I stood, still incredibly stunned, as Tamao, Jun, and Pailong ran up, ready to battle at any moment.

"More reinforcements?" the Viking-shaman muttered suspiciously after he backed up.

"Please forgive us," Pino pleaded, his voice betraying his nervousness. "I apologize. So… okay…" He put down his arms. "Zoria."

Looking resentful, the woman - Zoria - brought her oversoul down, and the water and Chocolove fell to the ground, the comedian gasping for breath.

"Are you okay?" Manta asked, running up to him.

Chocolove made a pun, and even though I was relieved, I wanted to hit him - which was exactly what HoroHoro did. "He seems to be all right," the Ainu grunted, glaring at Pino and the other two.

"Right?" Pino said. "It was just a joke," he brushed off. "So will you put that away? That scary thing of yours," he asked Ren, who had Bason - a near giant Bason - out.

Ren glared, not doing anything to bring Bason out of oversoul. "So you had allies as well?"

"Yeah," Pino replied. "That's why I also know you aren't with Hao."

"It's the Niles!" someone suddenly shouted from the main of the town, drawing my attention. "They're real god-class shamans!"

"What's that?" Manta asked.

Confused, we all stood there for a few moments before the tension seemed to drain, at least a little bit. Pino and his companions turned to each other to speak in quiet tones. After a few seconds, our group turned to each other to converse as well, mostly to fill Jun, Pailong, and Tamao in on what had happened.

I didn't join in, but that didn't matter; after a second of just standing there, trying to process everything that had happened since I stepped out of the restaurant, HoroHoro approached me.

"Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

A little startled at the sudden question (well, it wasn't sudden, but I wasn't prepared), I nodded.

The Ainu let out a slight noise of exasperation and looked away. "Listen… I'm sorry about your arm. And don't try to say it's not my fault," he went on quickly, noticing my expression. "It's at least partially mine, anyway, other than that X-Law." He spat out the last word, and then met my eye. I noticed that his hand on his arm tightened as he continued. "What… what did Hao want?"

I shook my head slowly. If Ren didn't want to talk about what Hao had said to him, I wasn't going to gossip. Nor was I going to say what Hao said to me, not ever.

HoroHoro sighed. "All right."

"Oi," Ren suddenly barked, coming up to us. "We need to go find Yoh and the others."

We walked back toward the restaurant, but I couldn't help sneaking a glance at Ren. I never thought that Hao would come out and do that; I wondered how I could be surprised, though, when Ren was the one most touched by darkness and hatred. The one most touched by the desire to succeed, to do anything to be able to. Though Ren seemed to have rejected Hao's offer, I knew it would be reverberating in his mind for a while. But another pressing thing on my mind was how Ren had, well, snarled at Hao when the Asakura had touched me. A feeling settled in my stomach, and though I didn't know what it was, it felt an awful lot like nervousness.

A few minutes later, we came up to the restaurant, but that was not what had caught out attentions.

Out in the distance, in a clearing of desert, was a mass of shamans. I saw the light of oversouls, and felt the presence of a strong furyoku… a really strong one, one that just managed to rival Hao's.

We hurried over and pushed through the crowd just in time to have Pino block Yoh from entering the makeshift arena. I looked past the two and saw Lyserg single-handedly fighting three Egyptian shamans, two of which were down and one in the air with golden Egyptian wings. Marco was standing in the background with what I recognized as an iron maiden - the source of the strong furyoku.

I just had enough time to register that when I saw Lyserg's pendulum shoot toward the winged Egyptian shaman, but the pendulum stopped short, just in front of the man's forehead, and somehow Lyserg ended up on the ground, coughing. His pendulum lost its power and fell to the ground as well.

"Why…?" the Diethel gasped, just loud enough to be heard as he looked at the crystal. "Why did you stop the attack, Morphine?"

This made my blood boil. Lyserg was lying; Morphine didn't stop the attack.

"Please, let me attack," Lyserg said as he stood up. "Or else… I'll…"

What happened next was something that would have defied normal physics (not that oversouls didn't do that). The iron maiden _flung itself _at Lyserg and hit him broadside, sending him tumbling to the ground.

"It's not what you think!" he protested.

Marco walked up to him, fixing his glasses. "Lyserg, I'm disappointed in you."

_For what? _I thought furiously. _Not killing - oh, I'm sorry, _executing _the opponent?_

Marco turned and walked back to the iron maiden and stood it back up on its… wheels.

"Oh, sinner," a voice inside sighed, somehow amplified. The voice was delicate and sad, and I suddenly felt… sympathetic, and I had the urge to console the person inside. "It appears," the voice went on, "I'll have to pass judgment on you myself."

White light erupted from the bottom of the iron maiden, and I almost fell over in the furyoku that was released.

"She is the holy girl," Marco announced. "The Iron Maiden, Jeanne-sama."

The doors of the iron maiden slowly opened, revealing green, thorny tentacles inside that surrounded the figure of a young girl with incredibly long silver hair. Blood ran down the side of her face. Despite being so young, her pale skin seemed to shine, and she was very pretty - fragile, though, as if she were made out of china.

"She's wrapped in thorns…" I heard Jun whisper from somewhere behind me.

"It's as if she's trying to hurt herself," Ren noted. "What is she thinking?"

The blood disappeared from Jeanne's face. She opened her eyes - they were blood red, but glimmered like rubies. "Right now," she said, and her voice, so small yet so powerful, could keep the attention of any mass of people, "the world is in the midst of great darkness."

The vines holding her pushed her outward as if she were levitating. "Morality is lost, wickedness is spreading, and people are just hurting one another. If possible, I would like to relinquish their sins and pain." One by one, the vines holding her pulled away back toward the iron maiden. "That is why I swore to God that I would endure everything with this body. If He would bestow upon me the power to save the world, I would enter the Iron Maiden of Roses, and carry the sins and pain of humans."

The vines set her on the ground and fully retreated away from her; all she was wearing was a pink top and pants that looked to be nightclothes. "So that the world…" She looked up and gave a soft smile. "May be at peace.

"So that the world would remain peaceful," she continued, armor appearing on her body that was reminiscent of the iron maiden, "I fight against evil." Her body became surrounded in the white light of furyoku, and though I knew I was looking at someone who would kill to achieve her means, I was almost enthralled.

"My, you sure talk a lot," the remaining Egyptian shaman said from up in the air; he was chuckling, but anyone could see that he was unnerved. "The words of a girl's dream should be written down in a secret diary or something!" he yelled as he turned his body and began to descent in a dive-bomb. Before he even got halfway there, his oversoul suddenly disappeared as he was surrounded in an iron, skeletal cast so that you could see the fear on his face. The cast was glowing white, and was being lifted by five chains that were being held up by the fingers of… an indescribable spirit, but one that I knew: Shamash. A god, the one of justice.

"Now," Jeanne continued, lifting up her arms slightly to the sides. "Acknowledge your own evil and repent before justice."

"We cannot!" the two other shaman screeched, rushing at her, proclaiming that they were not evil.

"Why do you commit sin upon sin?" I just managed to hear her ask quietly before she dropped two bits of iron from her hand, which flashed and formed into chairs which the two Egyptians were strapped to and forced into the air up beside their teammate.

"Those who break the laws are evil," Jeanne explained. "Those who protect it are good. Do you repent for your sins?" she asked again.

"I do not!"

"You don't have the right to judge us!"

"Justice is on our side!"

I noticed Jeanne's face fall a bit. "Is that so…" she muttered before turned and walking back toward her iron maiden. Just before she got in it, her gaze and mine somehow locked for a second, and while something flashed in her eyes, she still turned away, saddened. She climbed into the iron maiden, and the thorns wrapped around her before the torture device closed. From its eyes came dark liquid that could have either been tears or blood.

"I… am very sad… Shamash!" she said. "Bestow upon these sinful people the judgment of the purging law."

"_Stop it_!" Yoh screeched, but it was too late.

"_Judgment." _Shamash's voice rang out, low-pitched and hard to understand if you relied on only your ears, and it lifted its right arm, which had an axe attached to it.

Screams and blood were everywhere, but the former was cut off abruptly.

()()()()()()()

The crowd cleared out, until only the X-Laws and us were there. Without a word, the X-Laws turned and left, Marco pushing the iron maiden.

"Lyserg…" Ryu sighed.

"I wonder if my voice failed to reach him…" Yoh wondered with a half-glance backwards.

"I don't think so, Yoh-kun," Manta put in. "I'm sure." He didn't sound it, not really.

"The strongest will become the Shaman King," Ren said seriously, his arms crossed, and I wondered if he was thinking about the confrontation with Hao. "It's a reasonable fact, but…" He trailed off.

"Iron Maiden… That girl's pretty arrogant," Anna noted.

Not another word was said, and we headed back toward the town.


	44. Neka

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. I only own my OCs... and remember how I said there would only be a few? XD**

_**First off: there are going to be no more chapters that stick consistently to the episodes.** i.e., if I had written this chapter along with the episode number like I have been doing, it would have been the fight with Pino&co. Instead, I skipped that episode (the fight was pointless filler, and I'm sure you all want none of that), and so this chapter is for ONE HALF of episode 45. (well, more like 3/5ths of the importanto stuff, but you get what I mean, ne?) This is the point where the plot starts to really spin off on its own (though it's still rather based on what happens in the actual episodes)._

_**Second thing: OCs.** They are here. Kinda a lot-ish - most are really pointless and most likely will not show up again even in mention (well, maybe once in the next chapter). I used my ability as the author to sort of 'envision' a sort-of past for the Patch (do they do that in the manga? I mean, do they ever talk about the first ever SK? Or who/what the Patch were if they were around before the first SK was chosen? Eh, I don't really 'answer' those questions, but all OCs are in flashback here... seriously, if I'm confusing you, just ask and I'll answer if I can). I don't know if I explained enough, but I'm sure all of you are smart enough to put two and two together with these things... unless you have a two and I only gave you a one..._

**_Third: Kinda off topic, but it took me two weeks to write this one chapter._**_ Seriously, I don't know what took me so long. But I did watch Yoh's 'dream scene' about five times during then. My reaction to seeing HoroHoro's broken snowboard in the dream: "O.O" Then Ren's broken Kwan Dao: "D8 Nu! My Lenny!" Then Ryu's broken bokouto: "Oh. Ryu's dead. WHERE'S REN?" XD_

**_Fourth: I never want to get my teeth pulled again._**_ You all are so LUCKY I'm uploading (not to sound rude or anything, I'm so tired!). I have MOUNTAINS of homework because I missed three school days (not to mention a pain in the ass essay for a book I barely even read XD). I would have uploaded on Thursday, though, because I had a Latin trip last night (Friday; and yes, I'm a Latin geek), but FFnet is being a little turd. Well, a big turd. But luckily some very kind authors figured a way around it and shared the knowledge :3 If you need the info on how to upload around this problem, just ask!_

**_Fifth: Enjoy! _**_Ask questions if you have them!_

**Forty-Four: Neka**

Nothing of absolute interest happened while we were in that town, other than the fact that Yoh, Ryu, and Faust faced off against Pino and his crew. Maybe it sort of was a big deal, but I didn't see anything that really made a difference. I did get to see Yoh's Spirit of Sword, the double medium. Yoh, Ryu, and Faust won, and the next morning, we had left.

We traveled for a few days, getting steadily closer and closer to Patch Village. Faust officially declared my sprained arm healed, commenting slightly on how quick the process had been, but he had shrugged it off. I felt great that I could 'speak' fully now, but I knew, now more than ever, that my time with everyone was drawing to a close. My heart tightened in terrible nostalgia for all we had gone through in the past… year, it had been a year, or at least almost.

"Man," HoroHoro complained one night as we sat around a small fire (that I had made, by the way) while Tamao rolled out sleeping bags. "How far do we have to walk for the Shaman Fight?"

"Where's Patch Village?" Chocolove added in an almost-depressed air.

_Not far now, _I thought, trying to keep my thoughts from going to the fact that I wasn't far from being reprimanded by Goldva. _We're…right outside it…_

Ren huffed. "How pathetic. It's because you guys are so slow, we can't get there now matter how long we walk."

"Yeah, but-"

"Enough!" Ren interrupted Chocolove. "You guys can stay here for the rest of your lives."

"What did you say?" HoroHoro snapped.

"Hey, don't be so irritable," Ryu scolded. "We've almost crossed the black desert."

"Yeah, he's right," Yoh put in. He looked out at the darkening landscape. "The valley of the red river, pass through the black desert, and head for the blue cave."

"We're finally going to reach the blue cave!" Ryu said excitedly, tightening a fist.

Ever the optimist (please note my sarcasm), Ren said, "I don't think things are going to go so smoothly. Besides, we don't even know if this _is _the black desert."

"But it's black," Yoh protested.

"That's because it's night," Ren pointed out grumpily. "It was red in the afternoon."

"Now that you've mentioned it…" Yoh said.

"Hey, you sure this is the right place?" HoroHoro asked suddenly.

"I don't know!" Ren snapped, fed up. "That's why I said we don't have any time to waste."

"This is bad!" HoroHoro panicked. "What'll we do if we went in the opposite direction?"

_If only we did, _I thought bitterly, staring at the fire. The tug in my body that told me where 'home' was was incredibly strong, and I was doing everything I could to keep myself from looking in the direction of it.

"Can I say something?"

I looked up at Manta, as did everyone else, and the short boy continued. "Are you guys headed to the black desert?"

"Isn't it obvious?" HoroHoro asked.

"What I'm trying to say," Manta amended, "is… wasn't it the 'black sandstorm'?"

Silence. The boys looked at each other, remembering, then suddenly all started to chuckle. Somehow, their laughter was contagious even to me in my current state.

"This isn't the time to be laughing," Anna said, and we all immediately stopped in fear of her Legendary Left. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

Suddenly, fingers were pointed, and accusations were flying. The noise rattled my brain, and if it weren't for the voice that suddenly spoke up against them, I think I would've slapped the nearest person, HoroHoro.

"Stop arguing!" Tokagero snapped. "You should be ashamed! This isn't the wrong way."

I looked to see him, Amidamaru, Bason, and Kororo all staring in the same direction. Towards the Great Spirits.

"The black sandstorm…" Bason began, "will come blowing late at night."

"The blue cave is just ahead," Amidamaru added.

"What do you mean?" HoroHoro asked, obviously unnerved.

Amidamaru was quiet for a second. "Someone is calling us."

"Calling?" Yoh repeated.

"The Great Spirits?" Ren guessed.

_Right on the money._

"I don't know," Bason said.

"Is that from your spiritual sense?" Ryu asked.

"Well," Tokagero said, "let's just leave it at that."

It felt like everyone's concerns were lifted, at least for a moment. "Looks like it's true," Ryu noted.

"It looks like our goal is very close," Manta added happily.

"It's still far ahead," Anna argued, and I knew what she meant. "There are many obstacles we have to overcome before we can reach the true goal."

"Are you talking about Hao?" Manta asked.

"I'm talking about everyone," Anna replied. "Because only one person can become the Shaman King."

Not too long after, we all settled down to go to sleep. I lay on my side, staring directly where I knew the remains of the ancient Patch Village would be. I couldn't remember if I got any sleep at all.

()()()()()()

"_What happened_?" everyone screeched the next morning, rattling my eardrums, as we looked at the ruins of the old Patch Village, which sat under yards upon yards and yards of a rock overhang in the distance.

"T-there wasn't anything there last night," Ryu stuttered.

"What are those things?" HoroHoro breathed.

"Ruins," Chocolove explained.

"That's not what I meant!" HoroHoro exploded. "Things don't just pop up like that!"

"It's inside those ruins," Amidamaru said. "The blue cave."

We followed the spirits and walked steps upon steps down into the ruins. If it was eerie to the others, it _should _have been ten times worse for me: after all, I had walked these streets before, when there were numerous Patch people. But I hadn't just been wearing different shoes back then; I had had different feet, a different body entirely. But instead of getting the creeps, I wanted to run back the way we had come, dragging the others with me. There was no denying it; I wanted to postpone getting to the Patch Village for as long as possible, but there was no way to do it.

I was going to be separated from the others, and that was that.

We came to a small lake of crystal clear water where the edge of the village met the wall of stone that rose out over the main of the ruins. The entrance for the participants of the Shaman Fight.

"I can't believe there's a lake here," Ren breathed after we had sent a few spirits in to check it out.

"Oi, they're back," Yoh noted when Tokagero, Bason, and Amidamaru rose out of the water. "See anything?"

"We found it," Amidamaru informed. "There's a shimmering blue tunnel under here."

"I see," Ren noted.

"But…" Amidamaru said, "it appears to be quite long. Yoh-dono and the others should be okay, but we're not sure about Anna-dono and the others."

"We'll be fine," Anna put in. "We'll go after you guys. I'm going to have Manta prepare us a submarine."

Manta did a double-take at her.

"I see," Yoh said. "We'll go ahead then."

"All right!" Chocolove yelled, jumping into the water with a splash. "I'll show you all my swimming technique!"

"So this must be one of the tests," HoroHoro muttered, wading in.

"Hm?" Yoh looked back and noticed me hesitating on the shore. "What is it, Tori?"

I felt my face heat as everyone looked at me.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ren grunted. "She can't swim."

Indignation burned in my blood. _'I can too,' _I signed, wading in stubbornly. _Just not well_, I added to myself. Nix united with me of his own choice at that point, briefly explaining that he might be able to help me swim (not that he was a great swimmer in the first place, being a phoenix, the bird of fire, but at least he would be able to strengthen my muscles while swimming).

"You sure you can do this?" Yoh asked in concern.

In response, I determinedly pushed past him and dove beneath the surface. Maybe I was being incredibly insane, but I wasn't going to let them think I couldn't do anything. Not now, of all times.

It wasn't until I was swimming into the tunnel that I realized that I hadn't even looked back at everyone else: Anna, Tamao, Jun, Pailong, Manta… But I couldn't turn back.

Unused to swimming at all, I had to squint, but the walls did shimmer and provide all the light needed to see. In a few seconds, though, the boys had overtaken me and swam a little bit ahead of me. They grumbled in the water to each other, somehow communicating, but I couldn't understand them, not mostly because I was rather worried about how I would be able to swim through this.

We swam. And swam. And swam, swam, swam. That was all that happened, it felt like. Ahead of me, Yoh, HoroHoro, and Chocolove had to continually swim faster (as did I), because of the lack of oxygen. Eventually, the three stopped, and I could just understand them.

"_How far does this thing go_?" This came from HoroHoro, who was just about pulling his hair as I slowly managed to pass him.

"_Faust_!" I heard Yoh shout/gargle, and I looked back to see him swimming toward the doctor, who had begun to float upwards.

Concerned, I was about to swim back along with Chocolove and HoroHoro when I saw a terrible sight floating up behind Ren.

"_Pathetic,_" the Tao mumbled before he turned to see Ryu's lifeless face just before his own.

He screamed, bubbles escaping from his mouth, and I scrambled through the water to grasp Ryu's arm and try to pull him up, if there was any air above us. Needless to say, by now my lungs felt like they were trying to burst out of my chest, I needed air so _badly_. Ryu felt like a deadweight, but I couldn't let him go, he might sink. Just when I thought I was going to explode, my face broke the surface.

Gasping like there was no tomorrow, I wrenched on Ryu's arm and brought him up face first to the surface, shaking him till he started coughing and regained control of himself.

Something sharp poked my ankle, and on reflex I kicked out, my foot connecting with something hard but rather easily pushed away. As soon as the contact was made, though, panic rushed through me, and I took a breath before diving back down to grab Ren's arm before he sank to the bottom. Adrenaline fueling me, I tugged him back up toward the surface (an incredible feat due to the fact that I was a terrible swimmer), and finally broke surface again.

"Ren!" I gasped out with Nix, pulling the Tao's head above the surface and shaking him to try and wake him up. When he didn't respond immediately, I did my best to shake him harder. "Ren!"

Finally, he coughed, a bit of water escaping from his lungs. When he caught his breath, his golden eyes flashed to me. "Thanks for kicking me, baka."

My temper flared. "At least I _helped you live_, you… you…"

"Can't think up a good comeback, can you?" Ren snickered.

I was seriously about to launch myself at the Tao and drown him when HoroHoro suddenly shouted, "Hey, look!"

Muttering under my breath about how Ren was a lucky bastard, I looked to see a tunnel opening that thankfully wasn't submerged in water. We swam over to the outcropping of rock before the tunnel and began to climb out.

"Here," Chocolove offered, holding out his hand to me. Taking the privilege of being a girl, I grabbed his hand and let him help me up and out of the water and onto solid rock. However, when I turned to thank him, I saw a blush on his face, and his eyes…

…were trained on my soaking white, thigh-length shirt, which had become nearly transparent.

A loud smack echoed in the cavern, but when the others looked, all they saw was a swollen cheek on Chocolove, my red face, and me pulling my shirt just far enough away from my body so that my bra wouldn't show through.

We went through the tunnel (me following along behind) that was brownish and damp. Though I was still embarrassed as well as infuriated, I couldn't help but feel pangs. This was the last place that we would all be together, where we would all be working towards the same goal. Not that we were, but _they _thought we all were, that I was one of them. That I wasn't a liar.

"What kind of a cave would force us to swim so much?" Chocolove asked in disgust.

"Yeah, seriously," HoroHoro agreed. "Give me a break. Is there really a village in here?"

"I don't want to get lost and die of starvation," Ryu muttered.

"Hmph. Are you guys scared already?" Ren taunted, turning around. He became even more serious. "If you're worried, then turn back. No one is going to stop you." He turned forward again. "It's useless for you guys to go in the first place."

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?" HoroHoro asked darkly. "You want to go at it again?"

"Don't waste your time," Ren advised. "If you want, I can end it here for you."

"Interesting!" HoroHoro retorted, voice rising. "Let's settle everything this time!"

"Oi, you two, that's enough," Chocolove said.

"You stay out of this!" HoroHoro barked.

I found myself smiling at all this.

"But I'm trying to…"

"It's okay," Yoh said from the front of the group. "They're always fighting. And no matter what we do, we'll have to fight each other some day. Since only one person can become the Shaman King." He chuckled and continued walking.

Though the others took this information rather sullenly, I wished that I could be in the same boat as them.

We walked for a little bit before Yoh stopped again, humming in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" HoroHoro asked shortly. "Can't you tell by looking at it? It's a dead end! _A dead end_!"

I stared at the smooth wall. A dead end. What a fitting way to describe my relationship with these boys. Going nowhere. Ending suddenly. Pointless.

I looked to the ground, knowing what was going to happen soon, at least to them. I resisted the urge to put my face in my hands.

"Did we get lost?" I heard Ryu ask.

"It doesn't matter if we're lost or not," Ren argued. "We don't even have any directions."

"Either way," HoroHoro sighed, "let's go back. There might've been a side tunnel on the way here."

The next thing I heard from him was a startled gasp, and I looked up at them, knowing that a wall had appeared a little ways behind me. Every one of them looked startled and/or panicked.

"The passage d-disappeared!" Ryu exclaimed.

"Amidamaru?" Yoh asked in confusion when the samurai appeared.

Amidamaru was silent for a long moment. "I feel it…"

"Feel?" Yoh repeated, and they all looked to the ceiling, and I couldn't help but do so too.

A stream of countless voices, all in unison, spoke. I knew their language wasn't any earthly one, but it spoke into your heart, not just your ears.

'_**The passage will only open to the chosen shamans.'**_

A half-second before a light erupted below us; I couldn't help it - my breathing hitched. The next second, though, we were all standing on the edge of a cliff, staring directly at a sight I was familiar with but still managed to make me feel small, insignificant, and breathless.

The Great Spirits.

()()()()()()()()

The next thing I knew, I was alone.

Nix wasn't there, Ryu wasn't - no Yoh, Chocolove, Ren, HoroHoro, Anna, Manta, Tamao - hell, not even Lyserg. I was isolated, if not for the fact that that the Great Spirits were all around me, like a secure blanket, but also like something that was distant. Oddly, though, I didn't feel panicked, only curious at where I was.

I looked around, and it hit me; I was back at the lake. However, instead of the surrounding area being just ruins, it was all fresh, new, and lively, with a couple kids running around laughing and a few adults in the area, all wearing Patch clothing. If I wasn't wrong, I saw one that looked oddly like Chrom.

A lot of people were around the lake, but one in particular caught my eye. His features weren't too different from normal - he looked a little like Chrom's younger brother, Nichrom, but not much. He looked to be about my age, maybe a little bit older, and he wore a headband to keep his dark bangs out of his face. His hair was what was different about him; it was rather short and feathery, not the usual long and sleek. He seemed familiar, but I couldn't place it.

In any case, while everyone else around him - mostly little kids - were splashing in the shallows, he was sitting on the ground, a pensive look on his face as he stared at the waves-

_A fiery light. Voices, all around him, whispering of destiny. He knew he was dreaming, but the smoke and flames were scorching his lungs-_

I forced myself out of his mind, startled at how easily I had entered - I hadn't even tried. The last time I had seen another person's thoughts was with Pailong all those months ago (great, now I was thinking about Tai _on top _of trying to forget that I was now separated from the others), and I had worked hard to keep to myself unless directly using my telepathy to talk to Hao or a spirit. How had that happened?

The boy reached up to his neck and fingered something that was tied around it, but I was too far away to see what it was before he slipped it under his clothes. He stood, and I, not wanting to take the chance of losing him, came closer, noticing that no one paid me any mind, like I wasn't there at all.

The boy turned back toward the village, and I hurried so that I was walking just behind him. We went up the stairs, but at the top of a couple flights, we were stopped by Silva.

No, it wasn't Silva, though it looked incredibly like him - he even wore the ceremonial robes of the official priests. It wasn't Hao, I could somehow tell. I _knew _that this was back before Hao was even thought of by his first mother, long before. Just as the man spoke, something in my brain clicked.

_Sh… Shoneah?_ If this was him, then we were in the time before a Shaman King had ever been picked before. When the Patch was a new people altogether.

"Neka," Shoneah greeted; in his arms was a small toddler, and his name was already engraved in my mind: Toshawa. "Your mother is helping Namas, so I got the little guy," he explained quickly at the boy's - Neka's - questioning look.

The name of the woman was said in quick passing, as if Shoneah wasn't trying to make a big deal about it, but even though I heard the next words they spoke, it didn't truly sink in, because I felt like I had been blindsided.

"Father," Neka began hesitatingly, but before he could continue, Shoneah's face softened.

"Look, Neka," the man said, "don't worry about it. I had plenty of visions when I was your age; one day, when you take my place, you'll be able to understand what they mean. But if you really want to talk, go to Anang; even if I'm your father, he'll be able to help you better."

Neka paused slightly before nodding. "All right," he agreed. A sudden thought seemed to occur to him, and he looked at his father, the onset of fear and concern in his dark irises. "What do you mean by Mother 'helping' Namas? Namas's baby shouldn't be born for at least another two months."

Whatever happened next to them was lost to me. The ground seemed to swoop out from underneath me, leaving me in blackness for an instant before a short scene - so short it could've been a picture - was put in front of me.

A woman I had never seen before was propped up on a bed. She looked weak and sweaty, her dark bangs plastered to her forehead. Her breathing was shallow and quickly slowing to a permanent cease, but her eyes already seemed both the most alive and the most dead they could ever be in shock as she looked at the tiny, motionless form in her arms.

It was Namas, and the stillborn in her arms was Catori.

Namely, me.

()()()()()()()()

Very suddenly, I was walking through the Holy Ground of the Stars, the special dimension of the Great Spirits. Their presence was heavy here, in this foggy flatland filled with odd, tall rock formations, but I noticed Neka walking towards the temple grounds. In his arms was something wrapped in a Patch blanket. I didn't need to be told what was inside.

I hurried after Neka and came up beside him to see the determination in his dark eyes. Instantly, I trusted him, even if he was taking my first body to the Great Spirits to ask for help, even if I _could _possibly blame all my recent hardships on him, but that would be selfish.

Another thing that made me trust Neka was the fact that not only were his eyes determined, but they were also troubled. He truly cared for the well-being of the Patch as well as the little me in his arms, but he was worried. I would be if I were in his shoes, too; only the Patch priests were allowed in the Holy Ground, and even then, they rarely went in. I supposed Neka was allowed in here because of the fact of who his father was.

Feeling the sudden need to reassure Neka even if he couldn't see me, I reached out to touch his shoulder. Upon contact, I saw his thoughts.

"_Let me take Catori to the Great Spirits!" Neka burst; somehow, he had managed to shove through the guards and trespass into the priests' meeting room._

_No Patch had ever seen a baby that was born dead, as was the case with Namas's daughter. Currently, Shoneah, who was Nemas's brother-in-law, was holding Catori, whom Nemas had named with her last breath. When Neka interrupted, a sudden silence overtook them all, and Shoneah looked sharply at his eldest son. However, before he could reprimand his son, the Patch leader, Anang, stepped forward toward the boy, which not only stopped him but also the Patch member who had just been about to drag out the boy who managed to dodge past him._

_The old man scrutinized Neka. "Why?" he asked simply, but his voice was rough, and warned that if the wrong answer was given, punishment would be given too._

_Neka steeled himself, knowing he had only one shot. However, when he opened his mouth, thought was somehow thrown to the dogs as he rushed out, "The dreams - it's my destiny - I have to!"_

_Anang raised an eyebrow. "Slow down, boy. What dreams?"_

_Neka was breathing a little hard in nervousness. "Almost every night, for months now, in my dreams - fire, and voices, telling me about destiny. I… I have to take Catori to the Great Spirits. I _know _I do. I… I don't know how to convince you-"_

"_Yes."_

_Shock just about erupted from the priests. Most of them began to argue, but Anang held up a hand and explained, "If it is destiny, we have no choice but to allow it, especially if it is the Great Spirits' will, who form our dreams. Besides, we were already on the verge to agreeing to take Nemas's daughter to the temple."_

_Neka couldn't believe his ears-_

I was suddenly jerked out of the memory when Neka stiffened. Blinking, I realized that somehow I had stayed walking with him, and we were now in sight of the pillars that signaled the beginning of the stairs up to the temple. Following his gaze, I saw one of the Great Spirits' birdlike guardians floating there. It was silent, and though no eyes were visible, its stare was scorching.

I was about to see if I could try to reassure Neka without touching him, as the spirit wouldn't attack you if you didn't attack it (though if Neka even knew if I was there was another matter), when I saw something I was absolutely sure that Neka couldn't.

Littered on the field between us and the pillars were splatters of blood and bits and pieces of weapons - metal claws, a wooden sword, a torn bit of a white lab coat, a katana, a snowboard, and, most recognizable as its blade was sticking up out of the ground, a Kwan Dao.

Feeling more full of dread then I could ever remember, I rushed forward, forgetting about Neka and my past self that he held in his arms. I ran through the field, ignoring the birdlike spirit above, doing my best to ignore the blood on the ground and trying not to trip. Even more fear filled me when I recognized Lyserg's pendulum at the bottom of the stairs, even if I didn't like the dowser. I all but climbed on my hands and knees up the steep steps, slipping once or twice on liquid that should've been in someone's veins. I didn't trip, though, until I came to the top of the stairs.

Landing hard, I gasped as I came up onto my hands and knees and looked at what I tripped over. And I immediately wished that I hadn't when I saw the glazed and empty green eyes of Lyserg staring back at me.

A short shriek escaped me, and I shuffled away from him hurriedly, only to bump into something. I whipped my head almost involuntarily around to see Faust lying facedown on the stone, a dark pool below him. My hand had come to rest on the ground in the liquid.

Somehow, I didn't shriek just then, but I scrambled away again, only to come to Yoh's body, bloody and bruised. Sudden thought occurred to me, and I put my hands on his chest, pushing my furyoku into him, trying to heal him… but like Chrom, Yoh was long gone, and his skin only twitched slightly at the cuts on his body before ceasing to respond at all to my attempts at healing.

Horrified, I stared with wide eyes around the temple, at the bodies of my friends. Chocolove, Ryu, HoroHoro, Ren… Every single one of them was bloodied and… and dead.

Unable and unwilling to face the fact that was right in front of my eyes, I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs, doing my best to stair straight ahead at nothing. Before I could fully close myself up, though, I heard footsteps, and I couldn't stop myself from looking to see that Neka had reached the top of the stairs.

Neka's eyes were wide and everything about him appeared to be awed as he gazed at the Great Spirits. He stood there for a moment, taking in the sight, before he walked forward, his feet going straight through Lyserg's body as if the boy was just air. Neka walked up to the altar in the middle of the temple, a simple stone bench, and knelt, placing my first body on it.

He spoke, but his words were drowned out by a sudden barrage of voices aimed solely at me.

'_**Remember why you are here. Remember how you are here.'**_

"I remember!" I screeched, trembling in the terror of seeing so many dead people.

'_**We have an order for you,' **_the Great Spirits continued.

"What is it?" I asked quietly, looking at Neka, who had stopped talking as a small red spirit appeared in front of him; Spirit of Fire, in a kinder, much gentler form than the one Hao gave him. The two seemed to exchange some sort of message, because Neka hesitated before nodding determinedly. Spirit of Fire nodded once as well, and suddenly, Neka and my first body became hidden in the center of a vortex of an inferno.

'_**Remember who you are.'**_


	45. Shima

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King, only my own OCs.**

_I'm not really that satisfied with this chapter. I mean, yeah, I like some parts of it, but a... discussion in here is way too... easy. Ugh, I hate it, but it was beneficial to the story. Grr._

_Another OC! XD Not a particularlly major one, but sort of :3 I just want y'all to remember that Tori isn't like you and me: most times she kind of... can't form a relationship with someone (although Yoh and the others broke that rule XD). I'm kinda scared that I'm gonna get reviews saying "Aw, poor Tori!" or something like that. XD_

_Speaking of reviews, as of right now (April 1st 2011 - happy Fools' day, by the way), we have FIVE more to go to ONE-HUNDRED REVIEWS! Remember, the one-hundredth reviewer will get a oneshot dedicated to them, and the topic will be of their choosing (but it's gotta do with the Muffled-verse, and I have to agree with it... mostly because of spoiler reasons and the like, though it can (and most likely will) be AU)._

_On to this little filler-ish chapter... enjoy! ;D_

**Forty-Five: Shima**

I woke up in my room in the village. I stared at the ceiling, breathing heavily, covered but thankfully not soaking in my own sweat. I sat up, my hair falling down around me as the gold ribbon I used to keep my hair up was somehow in my hand.

Nix appeared in front of me and looked up at me in concern. _**'What was the dream about?' **_

Silently, I fed him the memory of the dream, doing my best not to shudder. After I relayed everything to him, I procrastinated from broaching the topic of the Great Spirits' order and instead asked, _**'Do you remember a Neka, back in the beginning?'**_

Nix shook his head, his reddish-gold feathers shimmering. _**'No. His name does ring a bell, though; I believe I overheard Shoneah speak about him once, but I can't be sure. That was forever ago.'**_

'_**He… must've **__**died, then,' **_I concluded, remembering with a pang the determination in Neka's eyes, the boy's willingness to achieve his destiny. The next question that came out of my brain was sudden. _**'Nix, what happened to the others?'**_

Nix wasn't annoyed, only slightly disappointed at the inquiry. _**'I do not know. I have not left your side for a little over an hour, and Silva has not come back yet for you, though-'**_

"Catori!"

I looked up at the relieved gasp to see a woman standing in my doorway. Her features were Patch through and through: a strong jaw, darkened skin, deep eyes, and sleek black hair that was done in an incredibly long braid, a few bird feathers sticking out of the tie at the end. I knew her age, approximately thirty-six, but even though she had a beautiful smile - a beautiful everything, really - she had permanent frown lines. In her hands was a cold compress, which she put on the small table before she came to my side.

Nix bowed his head in respect. _**'I thank you for taking care of her, Shima.'**_

I gave a small smile, though I had never formed a complete bond with the woman, just the same as in every other life. _**'Thank you, Mother.'**_

My mother smiled, her eyes warm. "Silva told me that you would wake up soon, since you're…" She trailed off, then went on in a worried tone, "But… isn't it odd in the first place that you passed out?"

'_**It was the Great Spirits' will,' **_I replied. My poor mother, she tried incredibly hard to understand me, but even though even the smallest Patch member knew what I did for the Shaman King (and there weren't too many Patch members left), only the priests knew my duty exactly.

My mother nodded once. "Silva said that he would bring Goldva here in about… half an hour, so he could speak to you before he announces the rules over the speaker, since the deadline to get here is over tonight." Her eyes flickered to my hair. "I need to get you cleaned up - your hair is a mess."

As she hurried away to find a hairbrush, I couldn't help but shake my head in amused exasperation. Maybe I didn't have a real mother-daughter bond with her (like I said before, I never did with any mother I had), but I knew Shima. Whenever she could, she wanted to brush my hair.

She was back quickly and slid in behind me on the bed, taking a lock of my red hair and beginning to untangle it - the tugging hurt my scalp a little bit, as I couldn't remember combing it since… maybe the town where I had first seen the Iron Maiden. And since then, I'd been through desert and wet caves - terribly, terribly wet caves.

"So…" she began, trying to keep the awkwardness out of her voice, because even though she had tried to _talk _to me before, it didn't make it any easier. "I heard the priests talking about how you were traveling with… Kurasa?"

'_**Asakura,' **_I corrected, deciding that my mother deserved at least part of the truth, after what I had done to her, even if she thought it was an honor to have me as a daughter. _**'Asakura Yoh; I… I became friends with him in Tokyo.' **_

My mother faltered slightly in her brushing, as if she was trying to remember if befriending the participants was unusual or not. However, I continued, deciding that she, being a mother, wouldn't repeat anything unless I gave her the okay (and this was actually a hope, but I couldn't leave her completely in the dark, it wasn't fair).

'_**He has a non-shaman friend too, Oyamada Manta. He's incredibly short, but a lovable genius. Kyoyama Anna is Yoh's fiancée, and though she's a terror if you make her mad, she really loves Yoh, anyone can see that. Usui HoroHoro is an Ainu from Hokkaido, he lives to snowboard and wants to save the Koro Pokkuru; Ryu wants to find the 'Best Place,' and Chocolove wants to be a comedian. There's Faust XIII, and he's a necromancer. Tao Ren's from China, and…'**_

I hesitated, not knowing what to say about Ren. His reason for entering the Shaman Fight was an enigma to me (well, not when I had first met him, what with calling humans 'cockroaches,' but now it was) - and speaking of 'when I had first met him,' what could I say about how he had wanted to kill me? How could I say that we were both marked people, that even though he and I didn't really see eye to eye due to the fact that he was suspicious of me, we had more in common than I did with any of the others.

My mother caught my hesitation. She stopped brushing my hair and leaned forward slightly over my shoulder. "Catori," she said quietly, and I could feel the turmoil in her mind; one part excited, the other, bigger part worried. "You don't…?"

'_**Of course I don't!' **_Unintentionally, my mental voice was a bit loud, and Shima winced. I lowered it and continued, _**'I apologize. I lost my train of thought. You see, Ren's one of the shoo-ins for the Shaman Fight; I was just wondering who the Shaman King would be.'**_

I could feel my mother's confusion as she went back to brushing my hair; she, of course, knew the average girl's thoughts, but then again, her daughter was definitely not average, and, needless to say, did not have average thoughts or average problems. Much less problems about relationships (my problem being that I _had _them, not to mention the fact that they were based on me lying).

I allowed myself two seconds to think about the prospect of me liking _Ren_, then decided that I really didn't want to throw up and pushed the thought away.

The subject was dropped, though, and soon she took my ribbon and tied my hair up in a small bow rather than the simple knot I usually did, though the ends still trailed out. I thanked my mother and stood, stretching; by what I'd gathered from Nix, I'd been… out for a little more than an hour, but I felt incredibly stiff. Still, though, I was procrastinating from telling my mother what I wanted her to do.

My mother got up as well and smiled at me. "Don't worry," she said, as if reading my thoughts. "Mothers don't tell on their daughters."

I was about to reply when suddenly there was a distant knocking sound, and my heart stopped for a second. Not noticing my reaction, my mother moved past me and out of my room. Within ten seconds, Goldva would be inside, and I had no clue what I was going to say to him.

I couldn't tell him the truth - that I had been lonely, that I had actually gained bonds with Yoh and the others (faulty bonds based on lies, but still). If I told him that, who knows what would happen - needless to say, though, it wouldn't be good in any case. I went against my rules, but as far as I knew, there were no written punishments anywhere - however, that didn't mean Goldva hadn't thought of anything already. Maybe he even thought of, Great Spirits forbid, expelling Yoh and the others from the Shaman Fight, since they had little chance of accepting my aid…

But then again, I could've been overreacting somewhat…

I brought a hand to my temple, and noticed that, like always, I was wearing the red beaded bracelet that I had bought from HoroHoro back when I had first met him. I didn't think much about it, but maybe Goldva would. But then again, it was just a bracelet, it meant nothing. Oh Great Spirits, I felt like I could vomit up my entire stomach.

I heard voices from outside my room, and I decided that I wouldn't be able to come out of my room at all if I didn't leave now. Steeling myself, I walked into the main room and found Goldva speaking with my mother.

Goldva turned to me immediately and as always, his eyes were sharp. He turned back to my mother, but before he said anything, she bowed, gave a quick word of excuse, and left for her own room.

Tense silence weighed heavily between me and the Patch leader. At that moment, I really should've been trying to come up with something to say, but nothing was entering my mind. I felt increasingly panicked.

Finally, Goldva spoke. "Catori, you don't need me to voice what I want to know."

Sudden epiphany for what I could say came over me, but I kept a straight face. I'd have to be cautious, though; already in those few seconds I could feel a flaw in the plan - two, actually. Thinking quickly still, I kept silent.

Goldva sighed through his nose in exasperation after a moment and fingered his pipe in one hand. "Catori, I understand that you are both a part and separate from the priests, but none of us may meddle in-"

'_**It's the Great Spirits' will,' **_I explained quickly and forcefully, as if I was seriously confessing in a rush.

Goldva didn't appear to be expecting this, and he looked at me in surprise. He blinked, and after a heartbeat passed, he asked, "Excuse me?"

Acting was _so _much easier when the only way I could communicate was with my hands. I grasped my elbow with one hand and lifted the other hand to my forehead as if I couldn't look at Goldva. _**'I was under their orders not to tell you unless it was absolutely necessary. The Great Spirits ordered me to watch Hao's twin; why, I'm not sure. I was starting to think that maybe they want to initiate some sort of new test, but I honestly don't know.'**_

Goldva was stunned into silence, and I risked a look to see that his face was pensive - after all, I wasn't one to lie to him (lying to others was another matter altogether as I need not say). I was contemplating whether or not I should continue when he spoke. "Catori," he said slowly, "I can accept your explanation, but what about your impartiality? I've seen on the monitor that you've attacked other shamans; that also puts you into danger-"

'_**The Great Spirits allow me to attack when I'm in danger,' **_I explained, even though Goldva knew this. _**'They told me that to keep up my ruse, I had free reign in attacking, although I did my best to hold back. And Goldva… why would I ever lose my neutrality?'**_

Goldva sighed in exasperation through his nose and seemed to ponder my words. Finally, he said, "Fine; if it is their will, then I will let you continue this. However," he went on, "unless it interferes greatly with your… ruse, _this _will always be the place where you sleep, so we can keep you protected. Whenever possible, stay within the main of the village." He paused and took a breath. "I don't like this, Catori; it gives me a bad feeling. But if it is the Great Spirits' will, then I will go along with it. However, I am going to have to tell the other pr-"

'_**Wait!' **_I put in, feeling a burst of panic - the fewer people that knew this lie, the better. _**'The Great Spirits didn't want me to tell **_**anyone, **_**not even you. Don't tell them.'**_

Though Goldva was short, the intimidation was all in his eyes and his stature. He was silent for a long moment, and then nodded. "For now," he warned. "Until the Great Spirits say something."

I let out a sigh of relief that I didn't have to make up. _**'Thank you for understanding, Goldva.'**_

Goldva nodded and then looked pointedly at my arm. "I think it would be best if you hid your Oracle Bell and pretended that you're only in Patch Village because the Great Spirits took pity on you. Perhaps you could pretend you were in the Fight before, but that's impossible now."

I nodded and immediately un-strapped my red Oracle Bell from my arm as Goldva continued. "Be careful, Catori. Within a few months, the Shaman King will be chosen, and you must be ready."

'_**I always am,' **_I replied before giving a short bow to the Patch leader, who returned the gesture before turning and exiting my home.

When he was gone, I breathed a sigh of relief, wondering how I had managed to get away with that. The reality of the situation struck me hard, too: I had just lied to Goldva to cover for my past actions, but in the process I had managed to prolong my time with my friends. I was happy to know that I would get to be with them for at least a little longer, but I wondered if that had really been the best action. It would cause me to have to lie more, and could very well put me through even more trying situations. Would it have been better if I had just decided to do nothing but watch the Shaman Fights until this was all over?

I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I didn't notice my mother until she spoke. "Catori… are you feeling all right?"

'_**Hm?' **_I looked up at her. _**'I'm fine.'**_

Shima didn't look entirely convinced, but I turned and returned to my room to grab my bag. I put my Oracle Bell in a little zipper pocket on the inside (but not before putting it on silent mode) and slung the bag over my shoulder. For a quick moment, I looked in my mirror and steeled myself for what was going to inevitably come before I went back into the main room.

'_**I have to go out,' **_I explained to my mother, who was cooking something in the small kitchen alcove. _**'I should be back later, but it'd be best if you didn't wait up for me. I'll get Kalim to cook for me.'**_

My mother looked up and seemed as if she was going to say something, but she just nodded. "All right. Be careful… and have fun," she added uncertainly.

I gave her a small smile before I left out the front door.

()()()()()()()()

Our home was near the center of the village, a little bit away from where the more upscale 'huts' were (I've never had to describe them before, so I suppose I'll just call them that); these were the places that you could live in if you donated to the Patch. (We have to make our money _somehow_.)

I tried to dispel my troubling thoughts and to instead focus on the now as I went down the winding stairs. As usual, it was a sunny day in Patch Village (how it manages to be that way while underground is beyond me), and it was warm. I turned a corner in the stairway and was about to cast out my senses to find the others when I literally came face-to-face with Hao and his lackeys.

Hao smiled. "I was wondering where you were, Tori-chan. Is it true that you came through the waterway?"

I stared, my mind at a blank for what to say. How had I not felt his aura before? I must've been too wrapped up in my thoughts. Belatedly, I realized he was still expecting an answer, and I narrowed my eyes and nodded.

Hao let out a small chuckle before he went on. "Most of your friends are outside Kalim's food shop, but Yoh's not there yet." He didn't explain how he knew, but he asked, "We were going to go see them. Would you like us to escort you?" His eyes darted to my arm. "Just in case someone tries to pick on you since you weren't blessed by the Great Spirits."

Hao knew exactly what he was saying, and I stiffened even further before I pointedly walked past him and his lackeys down the stairs. Kanna, Macchi, and Mari all gave me glares, but I didn't return them.

I could've sworn that I heard Hao chuckling as I disappeared around another corner.

()()()()()()()

"Oi, Tori!"

I had been pretending that I hadn't known all along where everyone was when HoroHoro called out. I stopped short in the street and looked up to see that, besides Yoh, everyone was sitting under the shop awning, including Anna, Tamao, Manta, Jun and Pailong. Knowing that any moment could be the critical moment of my 'ruse,' as Goldva had called it, I put on as forced a smile as I could, which was harder than I thought it would be, and walked over.

"Kalim's noodles are really good," Manta greeted. "You should get some, Tori-kun."

I merely nodded to Manta, doing my best to look at least somewhat dejected as I took an empty seat between Ryu and HoroHoro. The Ainu noticed my 'quietness' and frowned.

"What's wrong, Tori?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ren asked from another table where he sat with his family and Faust. "Her Oracle Bell is missing."

"What?" Ryu asked.

"Missing?" HoroHoro repeated, sounding rather irritated as he turned back to me. "What happened to it?"

I shrugged. _'It was confiscated. I wasn't-'_

"Confiscated?" HoroHoro interrupted.

"Let her finish," Anna snapped, and in my peripheral vision I saw her turn towards me.

'_The priest told me that I didn't pass,' _I explained.

"Didn't pass?" Ryu repeated.

Chocolove, who couldn't understand me as well as the others could, frowned. "Didn't pass? The test?" He looked at me strangely. "How could you not? We all had the same dream, to save each other."

I frowned back at him. _'I don't remember anything about my dream,' _I lied. _'I just woke up and the priest said I didn't receive the Great Spirits' blessing.'_

HoroHoro didn't look happy. "That's not right. You made it here with us, you should still be in the Fight." Something caught his eye, and he pointed out into the street agitatedly. "Look! Even the Lily Five are here; you deserve to be in the Fight more than they do." I followed his finger to see the Lily Five getting their picture taken in front of a shop across the street as he continued. "We should go make the Patch give you it back."

Unnerved at HoroHoro's brazenness, I held up my hands nervously in an attempt to calm him. _'It doesn't matter. I was never going to win.'_

Before anyone could respond, a sudden "_Huh?_" caught our attentions, and I looked to see Yoh standing in front of us while Silva smiled at the scene and walked inside the shop. The priest frowned slightly when he caught my eye, but he did nothing.

"You're pretty late, Master!" Ryu greeted.

"What were you doing?" Chocolove asked. "Hurry up and sit down. Kalim's fried noodles are awesome!"

Yoh looked unnerved to see everyone, but he sat down and ate the rest of Chocolove's noodles. As he was eating, HoroHoro sighed in exasperation.

"Can you believe it, Yoh?" he asked. "Tori says the Patch took away her Oracle Bell; they said she didn't pass."

Yoh looked startled as he swallowed, but I found myself glaring at HoroHoro. _'Why are you making such a big deal out of this?'_

"Because it _is _a big deal!" HoroHoro argued.

"Would you shut up?" Ren snapped as I turned away from the Ainu and crossed my arms. "We get it: she didn't pass. It doesn't matter."

Knowing that HoroHoro was going to argue, I elbowed him in the arm. I felt his angry stare, but the conversation was finally dropped.

Yoh looked a little nervous and changed the topic, putting a cheery tone in his voice. "By the way, Manta, how did you guys get here?"

"There was a blue cave in the ruins," Manta replied.

"Eh?"

"It's ridiculous, don't you think?" Ryu asked Yoh. "They're saying that there was another cave."

I felt Hao's presence, and I resisted the urge to look up sharply. Why the hell was he _always _there?

"I see," Yoh breathed.

"However," Hao intervened, and everyone looked up at him; obvious tension was in the air as the Asakura spoke from in front of his lackeys. "Only the _chosen _shamans can catch a glimpse of the Holy Ground of the Stars." He spoke calmly, but I just knew he stressed the word just for me.

The was a stressed silence, and Hao smiled.

"So those are the Great Spirits?" Yoh asked, indicating the enchanting giant vortex in the distance.

"Yes," Hao replied conversationally. "The Great Spirits are where all the spirits without form gather. It is the source of all of the earth's spirits, and the place where all spirits return to. What do you think of them?" he asked. "Were you excited?"

"Yeah," Yoh replied. "It was amazing, like I thought it would be."

"However," spoke up a voice, and I looked up to see Marco and the other X-Laws there; I cursed my thoughts for being so wrapped up that I didn't notice them.

Marco continued. "It is something that you will never have a chance of obtaining, Hao."

Hao looked at them for a moment before turning his head away and smiling.

The tense silence lasted for almost a full minute before a loud cough broke it, and it took me a minute to realize that it was Goldva on the speaker, clearing his throat.

"_Attention please," _he began. _"You have done well to have come this far. I welcome you all. Although it may be a bit sudden, let me first welcome you to the start of the Shaman Fight. I, Goldva, will… Oi, where's that piece of paper? That note with my greeting written on it."_

I blinked and just barely held back laughter. It would figure for this to happen. And what comic relief for the situation.

"_I-I threw it away already," _another voice replied. _"You said yesterday that you memorized it and didn't need it anymore."_

"_What?" _Goldva whispered fiercely.

"_You forgot it? That's why I told you so many times to-" _The voice broke off with a sudden strangled yelp.

"_I will first explain the rules then," _Goldva covered 'smoothly.'

()()()()()()()

It was decided pretty quickly afterwards that Yoh, Ryu, and Faust would make one team of three to comply with the current rules while Ren, Chocolove, and HoroHoro would make the other. (The decisions were mostly made by Ryu, Faust, and then Ren, I noticed.) I didn't stay long with them after that was taken care of, and I decided to go back home (they asked where I was staying, and I gave vague directions along with the excuse that I was really tired).

In reality, I truly was tired: tired of lying, but that was definitely not going to be able to stop any time soon.

What had I done today?

"Catori!" my mother greeted happily and in surprise when I shut the door behind me. "You're back earlier than I thought."

'_**Yeah,' **_I replied._** 'I'm kinda tired… Dealing with people is difficult.'**_

Shima laughed. "I know what you mean. You're father was like that." She wiped her hands on her apron; because she had the honor of being my mother, she didn't have a 'formal job,' so to speak, so she cooked a lot of the pastries for the food shops. She also knew a thing or two about healing herbs. "At the end of every day with him I wondered if it would be worth it to kill him," she chuckled.

My mother was rarely the type to get sentimental, and I was thankful that she didn't do so now. I had never met my father, as he died of pneumonia before I was born, and if ever one of the Patch members talked of him, it made me feel awkward, as they expected me to miss him or something.

"Do you want something to eat before you go to bed?" my mother offered.

I blinked and set my bag on the counter before sitting on the stool beside it. _**'Sure.'**_

Anything to get my mind off of my lies.


	46. Gaine

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. Only my own OCs.**

_FILLER CHAPTER FOR THE WIN! XD Yeah, that's right, filler. Serves y'all right for only giving me one review last time (so as of April 8, 2011 we have four reviews to go till one-hundred! :D). Nah, just kidding, I would've given y'all this chapter anyways. :P_

_Next chapter should be definitely more interesting. I've included a bit of foreshadowing for that, but just a bit._

_Hm, not a whole lot to say. I read the newest Warriors book (nearly cried in one or two places, and that's saying something, though I do tend to get overly-emotional for those books, like when I scream at the characters...), got braces (THAT HURT MY TEETH WHENEVER I TRY TO CHEW -.-), nearly feel asleep in class today, and... not much else!_

_Enjoy!_

_*coughReviewPleasecoughcough* XD_

**Forty-Six: Gaine**

"The fight between the Moon Group and Team Tsubasa will be held now," Kalim declared from where he stood on an outcropping of rock; he was decked out in battle clothes rather than a robe today. "The time limit is infinite. When all team members are unable to oversoul, that team has lost."

I sat on the edge of the cliff while the others (Yoh, Ren, HoroHoro, Chocolove and Ryu, along with a lot of other nameless people) stood. I looked down at the two teams: Moon Group was pretty much a dud compared to the other team, who consisted of a fat Chinese-looking man, a shorter man who wore a turban, and last but not least, football-shaman - yes, the one who tried to keep me and Yoh from attacking Ashiru.

I looked up and across the desert chasm to where other spectators were. Hao sat on a small outcrop with a tiny black girl. Hao caught my look and gave a small smile; I looked back down at the so-called 'arena.'

"Those three are Hao's allies?" Manta asked.

"Yeah," Yoh answered.

"Ready… Fight!" Kalim declared.

Immediately, the Moon Group rushed forward, and three white, birdlike spirits flew toward Hao's allies. Immediately, football-boy pummeled one into oblivion with his spirits, while the overweight Chinese man slashed one in half with a gong that was attached to a chain, while the robed man shot out a beam and obliterated the last one.

In a matter of seconds, the battle had been decided.

()()()()()()

"That match was horrifying," Chocolove groaned as he took a bite of his food. The two teams (plus Manta and me, and sans Faust) were hanging out in some corner of the village by a set of stairs, where the buildings formed a nice, private sitting area. I sat in an extreme corner near Yoh, noting in the back of my mind that we weren't all that far from my place.

"Hao's allies were really strong, weren't they?" Manta asked.

"Yeah," Yoh agreed, his smile coming out rather like a grimace. "They were overwhelming."

"Are you guys stupid or something?" HoroHoro asked, standing up from where he had been sitting on a convenient box beside Ryu. "That was just because their opponents were so weak."

"Yeah," I said sarcastically. It was getting increasingly harder to make myself 'heard' among them, so I had decided to merge completely with Nix, at least for most of the time. (Stupid boys, never letting me be able to speak - though maybe that was a good thing….) "It's not like it could've been some sort of combination of the both of those."

HoroHoro looked as if he were going to retort, but Ren suddenly spoke from where he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed as per usual. "I could have easily defeated those guys myself."

Self-absorbed bastard. But that was Ren.

"Well, either way, I guess that's that," Ryu stated. "We, Team Funbari Onsen, have no rivals," he added with an almost maniacal laugh.

"Hold it," HoroHoro said. "What do you mean by 'Funbari Onsen'?"

"Miss Anna gave us that name," Ryu admitted. "It isn't arrogant. What an elegant team name," he went on, in his own weird way that I ignored.

"Team name?" HoroHoro repeated. "Oi, Chocolove," he said, turning around to face his teammate. "Shouldn't we think of something, too?"

"You don't have anything to worry about," Ren said in anything but a consoling tone. "I've already registered us under the name 'Team the Ren.'"

Though Chocolove and HoroHoro's expressions were hilarious, that wasn't the reason I burst out laughing (even with Nix, my laugh sounded wrong and spasmodic). "_Someone's _put himself rather high on his own totem pole," I said, thoughtlessly repeating a Patch saying.

Ren gave me a look. "At least I have a name for _my _team."

The low blow effectively shut me up. In that instant, I knew Ren was still suspicious of me, especially of my story of how my Oracle Bell had been 'confiscated.' There was no way to satisfy his doubts at all, so I decided then and there to lay low and not even try.

HoroHoro and Chocolove were too shocked at Ren to worry about me, thank the Great Spirits. "Hey, don't register by yourself!" Chocolove argued.

"Consult with us first, damn it!" HoroHoro agreed heatedly. "The name makes it sound like it's your team!"

"Well, it is my team," Ren said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"_Bastard!_" HoroHoro screeched, along with other wordless howls; he was thrashing, only being held back by Chocolove.

"Oi, Ren," Ryu said, coming up in front of the Tao and leaning over to put a hand on his shoulder.

"You're being too familiar."

"They're team battles from now on," Ryu explained as if Ren hadn't interrupted him. "No matter how hard you try, it's too reckless to fight alone. One can become a leader only when he wins the trust of his teammates."

Ren let out an amused huff and turned his head away. "Nonsense," he scoffed.

"_Question_!" Ryu snapped.

Ren was startled. "A-answer!" he stammered (yes, _stammered _- I could hardly believe my ears).

"What is charisma?" Ryu asked importantly.

Ren looked frightened for his life. Or his sanity.

"That's right," Ryu said, taking a step back. "Charisma is something I don't understand, but it's something great." He pointed to Yoh, whose eyes were glassy with laziness. "Master's double medium is definitely that! Therefore, Team Funbari Onsen has no enemies!" He finished this all with a laugh.

"You're the one I don't get the most!" HoroHoro snapped/screeched.

"Yeah," Yoh agreed cheerily. "But that thing's really tiring, so I'm not gonna use it that often."

"Are you serious?" Ryu asked, obviously unnerved at the thought of not being able to win as easily as he thought.

"Yeah," Yoh said.

"Oh, what a waste…" Ryu moaned.

Ren huffed. "It's true that that thing is really something," he admitted, earning a round of 'eh?'s from the rest of us.

"But," he went on, turning to Yoh in a ready stance. "I won't lose!"

Yoh stared at him for a second before chuckling.

"_Yoh-sama_!" someone suddenly called. Startled, I looked to see two figures coming up the path: Ponchi and Conchi, Tamao's spirits. From the looks of it, they were both bandaged as if they had been beaten (no doubt by Anna). "We have a problem…" they called.

()()()()()()()

We rushed after Ren, who had hurried off even before the two had finished their explanation. I couldn't blame Ren, really - he only knew the vague location of where we were going from Ponchi and Conchi, but from what they had said, Jun was being attacked.

Stairs just about flew by under our feet at the pace we were going. I reached out with my senses, trying to find Jun and Pailong, but thankfully (or not), we rounded a corner to see two kyonshii-oversouls attacking them.

Immediately, Ren oversouled and drove his Kwan Dao into the ground, causing blades to erupt from the earth, separating Pailong and Jun from the attackers.

"Tao Ren!" two voices exclaimed, and I looked up to see two children staring at Ren in shock. It took me a moment to realize that these two kids were the ones who had attacked Jun and Pailong.

"Do you guys know what you're doing?" Ren asked tersely after a moment, still crouched on the ground.

The older of the attackers, a girl with brown hair, pointed accusingly at him. "I'll send you to hell as well!" she spat.

"I asked if you guys knew what you were doing!" Ren demanded harshly.

The two kids suddenly looked scared and nervous, their eyes turning to their hands.

"Hold on, Ren," Yoh attempted to soothe, walking up to the Tao heir and holding out his hands.

"You stay out of this," Ren said, looking up at him.

Yoh turned to the kids. "Why are you two that angry, anyway?"

Ren stood abruptly and came around in front of Yoh. "Listen to other people!"

"What's wrong, Ren?" Yoh asked, trying to laugh off the situation. "We should at least listen to their reasons."

"That doesn't matter!" Ren barked.

"Go to hell, Tao Ren!" the girl suddenly shouted, and I snapped up my head to see them both send their kyonshii-oversouls at him.

"_Stop it_!" a voice snapped before the spirits could get too far, and an aqua-haired girl walked onto the scene.

My eyes widened, realizing that this was the person who had months ago attacked Yoh while I was being attacked by Ren.

"Gaine!" Jun gasped.

"Nee-chan!" the kids exclaimed, rushing to either side of Gaine as the older girl glared at Jun.

"'Nee-chan'?" Ren repeated.

"That's the assassin sent by the Tao family to attack Yoh-kun," Manta realized.

"Wait a minute," Yoh said. "Why are they hostile towards the members of the Tao family, then?"

"We have nothing to do with the Tao family anymore," Gaine said decisively. "We were betrayed."

"Betrayed?" Ren asked.

"We lived to give everything we had for the restoration of the Tao family," Gaine explained. "However, the Tao family got _confused_. They broke their fangs fighting each other and threw away their pride. All because of you, Tao Ren!" she finished, turning her glare to the Tao heir.

"What?" Ren snapped.

"Even though you were the successor of the family," Gaine went on, "because you renounced your responsibilities, everything we did was…!" She trailed off angrily before continuing. "We abandoned ourselves, lived in the shadows. Everything we risked our lives for… Everything! Thanks to your betrayal, it all became meaningless! I will _never _forgive you." My fists clenched; though I could understand where they were coming from, revenge got you nowhere.

"Because of you," the little girl began, her voice trembling as she looked up, tears streaming from her eyes. "Because of you, nee-chan hasn't had a boyfriend in twenty-eight years!"

"Wha?" Gaine looked taken aback, and she wasn't the only one.

The boy was crying as well. "It's too late for anything, even if she were to get married tomorrow!"

"N-no, umm," Gaine began.

"Give nee-chan's youth back!" the kids pleaded.

There was silence for a few beats.

"Could you two please be quiet for a moment?" Gaine asked her younger siblings.

"Let's just hurry up and finish them off!" the girl snapped.

"Nee-chan!" the boy begged.

Gaine hesitated, then turned to look at Ren. "There's no need to hurry. Since these guys are our next opponents."

"_What_?" HoroHoro exclaimed.

There was a beep, and Chocolove held his Oracle Bell up to his face. "'Match Opponent: Team Noroshi'?"

"We're Noroshi!" the kids chorused importantly.

"The match is tomorrow," Gaine said smugly. "I'm looking forward to it, since I entered the Shaman Fight for this moment." She smirked. "I'll expose you in front of everyone. _I hope you go to hell._"

Ren said nothing.

Gaine huffed and put a hand on her hip. "You're pretty quiet. Are you feeling a slight sense of guilt?"

"He betrayed them, huh?" Ryu muttered.

"It's true that Ren isn't the same as he was before, but…" Manta mumbled beside me, trailing off.

"Looks like we're going to have a hard time with tomorrow's match."

HoroHoro's comment caught me a little off-guard. What, was he thinking that this was just a matter of a match, and not Ren's integrity? I swear, HoroHoro could be infuriating, but I kept still and watched.

If I wasn't wrong, Ren let out a small breath (I really wished I could see his face). "I don't care about your grudge or anything," he scoffed. "You're the one who will be defeated!"

"How dare you speak to me like that?" Gaine spat.

Ren said nothing once again.

()()()()()()()

Twilight was gathering outside as I sat with Ryu, HoroHoro, Chocolove, and Yoh, who was staring out the window.

"Jeez, man!" HoroHoro exclaimed. "'I don't care about your grudge or anything.' Jeez, what was that idiot thinking? He surprised me a little."

I stared at my clenched fists in my lap. I had no clue why I had come with the others here; not only was it getting dark, meaning that I had to go home, but sitting here was starting to infuriate me. Great Spirits knew why.

"Even if it was Ren, that wasn't necessary," Chocolove agreed.

Suddenly, Ryu punched both of their heads. "Are you guys stupid or something?" he muttered, indicating Jun, who was sitting at a small table, Pailong behind her.

"It's okay," she assured, though she looked understandably worried. "Ren's attitude was wrong, anyway…" She looked away. "It's just as Gaine said, we've betrayed her. I was happy to be released from the chains of the Tao family, but I never thought about the people who served us all their lives. I was being selfish…"

Pailong put a hand on her shoulder and murmured something I didn't catch. Jun looked at his hand and smiled sadly, but then looked back down at the table.

"W-well, I guess that's that, Jun-san," Ryu said. "Right, HoroHoro?" "Baka!" HoroHoro hissed. "Don't get me involved."

Jun looked over and laughed slightly. "Thank you. It was shocking to be called a traitor, but because of that, I was able to see it for myself. The one I'm worried about… is Ren."

()()()()()()()

I left not too long after that. I walked home, feeling rather somber about the whole thing. Team the Ren's fight would be tomorrow, so there was nothing to do but wait until then.

I bit back a sigh when I came closed the front door behind me. Vaguely, I heard my mother call a greeting to me, but I was too preoccupied with my thoughts to respond. I knew Ren and the others would be able to win the match tomorrow, but I couldn't help but wonder about what kind of person Ren really was now. He had changed, no doubt about that, but I felt reminded again of how we were both marked, even if his tattoo had faded.

"…not much time left…"

These words startled me, and I looked up to see my mother cooking something or other in a large pot, obviously waiting for me to respond.

'_**Uh, sorry? I wasn't paying attention,' **_I admitted.

My mother smiled and looked up at me. "I said, there's not much time left till your birthday ceremony. Or have you forgotten?"

I blinked. Actually, I had, which was very unusual - for I really did not care for my birthday. _**'No,' **_I lied for some reason. _**'I was just thinking about the upcoming matches.'**_

My mother looked back at the soup (or something) she was preparing and smiled sadly. "Another year almost come and gone… Where does the time go, I wonder?" She chuckled then, the sentimental moment finished. "Silva came by not too long ago; the ceremony's-"

'_**At noon, like always,' **_I interrupted, suddenly feeling more tired than I already was._** 'I'm sorry, Mother, but I'm tired,' **_I apologized as I headed to my room, running a rand through my hair.

My mother seemed a little surprised, as she didn't respond right away, but just before I closed my door I heard her call "Goodnight!"

()()()()()()()

Kalim was the overseer for the match, which was out in the open air of the desert. When he saw me sit with the others on a blanket that Anna had made Manta cart along, he gave me a discreet, quizzical look, but I didn't return it in any way, shape, or form. I was here to watch the match, one that I knew would be won. I supposed that might've been why there were no other spectators but me and the others, because this battle was rather one-sided… or because neither team was really well-known.

Team the Ren and Team Noroshi stood about twenty feet or so apart, with Kalim standing in the middle. He held up an arm. "We will now hold the fight between Team Noroshi and Team the Ren! Time limit is infinite. You will lose when everyone on your team can no longer use their oversouls."

Ren started to walk forward, and HoroHoro called out to him. Ren didn't stop walking as he replied, "How many times are you going to make me say it? You two just stay over there."

HoroHoro and Chocolove looked nervous, but they didn't move.

"He's right," the young girl from Team Noroshi said, rather smugly. "We only have business with him."

I think it would be a safe bet to say that I didn't really like that girl.

Ren stopped walking and smirked. "This is good for you guys. The only spectators are people we know. This way, you guys won't get too embarrassed."

"You're just a traitor!" the small girl spat.

"No," Gaine said after a moment. "It seems that's not it. He's such a cold-hearted person, he doesn't even realize he's betrayed us. To think that we entrusted him with our future. We were fools."

Ren closed his eyes and then looked at Kalim. "Hurry up and start the match."

"Uh…" Kalim seemed taken aback, but he held up his arm again. "Ready… Fight!"

Immediately, three kyonshii-oversouls were rushing at Ren. He oversouled his Kwan Dao so that a spiked golden sphere appeared at the end.

"He really doesn't feel anything?" Ryu questioned behind me.

"Of course he does," Yoh argued calmly, and I looked to see him gazing at the scene. "Ren has the right idea. That's what I think."

One kyonshii-oversoul shot an orb of electricity at Ren, who covered his face with his arm and took the attack. The other sliced out with a triple-prong that was attached to its hand, slicing Ren's upper arm in three places and tearing part of his vest. The third shot out darts at him, which he blocked most of with his oversoul, but one or two of the projectiles cut open his cheek.

He wasn't even attacking. I could tell what this was now.

All three kyonshii-oversouls attacked at once, and Ren held his ground as the attacks cut at his skin and clothes. After a few moments, Bason appeared in full form, surrounding Ren as if he could protect his charge. Two seconds later, the attacks caused an explosion.

Dust and wind flew, and even though I could sense that Ren was still very much alive, I think my heart leapt into my throat. When the dust settled, he was still standing there stubbornly, clutching at his arm.

Gaine walked out toward him and stopped after about five paces. "Why won't you attack?" she called.

Ren didn't answer, but he stood a little straighter.

"Are you giving your life to atone for your sins?" Gaine sneered.

"Don't talk nonsense," Ren scoffed. "I'm going to become the Shaman King. There's no way I would die at a place like this."

"Why, then?" Gaine asked harshly.

"If you have time to talk nonsense, then come at me with all you've got already!" Ren snapped. "I'll take it all."

With that, he dropped his Kwan Dao and held out his arms to his sides, inviting open attack. I stiffened and watched, wide-eyed, as he stared Gaine down. I knew Ren wasn't going to lose this, not at all, but you can't sue a girl for worrying, okay?

"_Don't mock me!" _Gaine spat, and her kyonshii-oversoul grew in size and threw more darts at him. His body jolted at every hit, but he didn't give way; he only let out a pained gasp after he was unable to hold it in any longer.

"Ren is taking all the pain in his opponent's heart with his body," Yoh explained quietly to Jun, but I listened in. "Isn't that the best way he can take responsibility right now?"

The attack stopped, and Ren almost fell to the ground, but he caught himself and forced himself to stand as straight as he could, which wasn't much. "I… must not lose," he muttered, just loud enough to be heard.

"What?" Gaine asked incredulously. "What can you do? You've even forgotten the pride of the Tao family!"

"To break the chain of hatred!" Ren said roughly, and it was then that I realized that that was his dream: to end hate. "I swore that to myself… but I didn't think it was me who planted that hatred in you…"

His features softened slightly. "I'm sorry."

If the situation weren't so serious, I would've done a double-take. Ren… apologizing?

"Right now," he went on as the two kids hurried up to their sister, "in my current condition, I don't know how I could heal your bitterness. Wait until I become the Shaman King!" he pleaded. "Then I'll take my time and think about it."

Gaine seemed pensive, but her siblings weren't so convinced. "Stop making things so convenient for yourself!" one of them cried.

Ren pulled the hilt of a sword out of his pocket and held it out importantly.

"Houraiken," the boy whispered, all three of the siblings in shock.

Ren flicked his wrist so that the blade of the sword extended to its full length, and he held it up; it glinted in the sun. "The treasured sword passed down from one generation to the next in the Tao family. I swear upon this sword!" he declared.

"S-swear on Houraiken?" the girl repeated, taken aback.

Ren had sworn on the pride of the Tao family. He was showing the three that he was still the heir. That their efforts hadn't been in vain.

I didn't need to look at Jun to feel her radiant happiness.

"That's just like him," Yoh said quietly.

"I'll finish you off for real, then!" Gaine exclaimed, and her kyonshii-oversoul grew even more and rushed forward.

"That's fine with me!" Ren called, oversouling Bason into Houraiken so that the spirit grew to its giant proportions. The two spirits fought and clashed while the others behind me let out exasperated but amused comments on Ren.

Bason pushed the kyonshii-oversoul back, and Gaine yelled out. Her oversoul launched itself at Bason and Ren, and Bason rose to meet it. There was a bright, yellowish light that forced me to close my eyes, both my vision and my senses overwhelmed by the amount of furyoku that had been released.

"The winner, Team the Ren!" Kalim declared.

The light faded, and I blinked to see that Chocolove and HoroHoro had come closer to our mat, and that Ren was helping the two children up, who seemed to have been knocked over by the blast of furyoku. Ren stood fully and staggered over toward us, panting slightly.

"Polish your Spirit of Sword," he warned Yoh as we walked right through the group.

"You don't have to tell me," Yoh replied before giving a small chuckle.

I turned my head around to follow Ren's progress, but suddenly, about five feet away from us, he collapsed. Startled, I stood as Jun rushed to him, and HoroHoro let out a yell. Chocolove let out a pun, but for once no one hit him. I peered past his afro to see a small smirk on Ren's unconscious face.


	47. Birthday Ceremony

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. :P **

_OMGGGG! 101 reviews! *dances* This is so freaking AWESOME! *bounces around the walls* Our 100th review was submitted by Kovou! When I get a reply from him/her, I'll start on the 100-reviews commemorate oneshot! :D I'll make it as AWESOME as possible!_

_Anyway, today is also the 14th! If my math is right, this is the seventh month-aversary for Muffled :D So, to celebrate, a double-update! (this is mostly because I won't be able to update tomorrow... but I like to have festive reasons!_

_Don't really have too much to say. I kinda have to get started on my homework (next week is vacation! I WILL WRITE, DARNIT!). I really do like this chapter, though. :D Enjoy!_

**Forty-Seven: Birthday Ceremony**

I blinked awake. Dim, early-morning light came in through my window - it must've been dawn.

I immediately rolled over and buried my face in my pillow, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. Even without knowing the exact date, I could feel what the day was - my own birthday, in both body and spirit. Today, my body was fifteen, while myself, the spirit, was some number that was at least four digits; I'd long since given up keeping track. I didn't know if it was coincidence or not that I was always born into the Patch on my spiritual birthday, but I went along with it.

However, if today was going to be like all my other years with the Patch, there was going to be a celebration of sorts, as my mother reminded me of the other day, if not a small and/or vague one (vague to the masses of oblivious shamans). After all, I _was _a Patch secret. (Note how happy my sarcasm is when I say that.)

I felt Nix stir my hair with his beak. _**'Might as well get up now,' **_he thought. _**'Get a start on the day.'**_

'_**I hate fusses,' **_I mentally mumbled. Sighing, I pushed myself up onto my knees, the sheets falling down behind me. I ran a hand through my hair, knowing that in a matter of minutes my mother would be 'attending' to it. It was tradition for my hair to be in a braid the whole day. How that started is beyond me.

I stretched and got out of bed before going to the bathroom and showering. I had washed my hair the day before, so I didn't bother now. I wasn't in the bathroom for more than ten minutes, but when I had changed and come out, my mother was waiting for me, already prepared for the day, a hairbrush in her hand.

Before long, my hair was in a long braid that went to the small of my back, with my trademark gold ribbon running through it; as usual, two locks framed my face. My hair was tied at the bottom with a small tie, and in my hand was a Patch headband, ready to be put on when I got to the Main House, where sacred Patch ceremonies were held. As for my Patch robes, my mother was going to take those with her when she left ahead of me, as it was symbolic for me to travel there myself. Or something.

I had sat on the edge of my bed while my mother had done my hair, and I had stared out into the street below. It wasn't a particularly busy one, especially for so early in the morning, though I did see a Patch priest walk past, wearing traditional robes.

Without warning, my mother gave me a hug from behind that lasted longer than was really necessary; I allowed it, knowing how lonely she was feeling. "I'll see you at noon," she promised before rising and leaving our hut, taking my robes with her in a box.

I looked out the window for a few more minutes, seeing my mother for only a second before she turned and disappeared from view, heading for the center of the village. For a moment, I felt pity well up inside me: Shima was a good woman, and she didn't deserve to be a widow, or unable to have any more children - for _all _my mothers became infertile after having me.

I stood and stretched before pocketing my headband. I had until noon, so I might as well go out and enjoy the day, as early as it was.

The air felt fresh for once rather than just dry. I decided to take a walk towards the lake, since I doubted there'd be much to do. I'd been doing my best to watch as many matches as possible that took place in the arena rather than outside (it was less troublesome that way), but there were only two matches today, the first one taking place at dawn sharp. And I didn't really feel like watching a match today.

I walked down the winding stairs to the main street and turned toward the lake when someone quite literally ran into me. More startled than anything else, since I hadn't been paying attention, I stumbled backward, but a hand wrapped around my wrist to steady me.

"Whoa - sorry, Tori," Yoh apologized, letting go after he was sure I had regained my footing. "You all right?"

I nodded, noticing how Yoh's skin was already glistening with sweat. Anna must've sent him on a morning run.

Yoh appeared to notice my look. "Morning jog," he supplied. "Nothing too big, though - we don't know when our next match will be. Have you had breakfast?" he asked suddenly.

Remembering that I wasn't supposed to eat until the ceremony, I nodded affirmatively, thankful that my stomach didn't growl just then.

Yoh grumbled slightly, more whiny than anything else. "I can't have anything for another hour."

I chuckled, and Yoh smiled his easygoing smile.

"Hey, wanna go for a walk?" he asked. "We haven't done that in a while."

I blinked, realizing that it was true. Back in Funbari, I would go running with Yoh every chance I could, mostly because I spent so much time watching the prelims. In response to his question, I smiled.

We walked towards the lake and the outskirts of the village; when noontime came closer, I'd have to go the opposite way towards the center. We didn't stick to the main road, though, and instead chose random directions and stairs, sometimes walking over flat roofs as we ascended through the various levels in the village. Yoh and I didn't need to make small talk, but both silences and conversations were comfortable and easy.

"You know there are only two matches today?" Yoh asked after a little while. "Both in the morning, I think. Actually, I think the first started at dawn."

I looked at him in interest, even though I knew this information already.

Yoh shrugged. "I just hope Anna doesn't get it in her head that today should be a training day." He shuddered, and I chuckled.

Maybe I've said it before, but it was so easy to be with Yoh. He didn't care about if a person was short like Manta, mute like me, or had a past like Ren. A person was a person, and deserved to be treated as such.

An example of this would be to be honest.

'_**Catori,' **_Nix warned when I glanced at Yoh out of the corner of my eye.

It couldn't hurt if I just told Yoh that I didn't just have telepathy with spirits (something I rarely used unless it was with Nix), but also telepathy with people. I mean, come on: it was the ever-understanding Yoh.

Even before Nix reprimanded me, I shook my head to myself.

"What's up, Tori?" Yoh asked, stopping as he noticed my action.

'_Just thinking,' _I signed, berating myself silently.

Yoh smiled sadly. "Are you not happy because you were disqualified?"

I blinked, but he seemed to misunderstand the reason behind my surprise.

"I like your dream," Yoh admitted - I noticed he used the present tense. "Giving people a voice. By the way," he went on, "you never told me; were you born mute?"

Maybe the question would've sounded awkward coming from another person, but I remembered Manta (or had it been Tamao?) asking basically the same thing. _'Hit my head when I was little,' _I supplied. _'Damaged the part of my mind that controls my voice. That's why Nix can speak through me, he can bypass my brain.'_

Yoh nodded at my half-lie. He turned toward the Great Spirits, looking incredibly relaxed. "At least we all made it here," he said, a faraway look in his eyes.

Very suddenly, I wanted Yoh to tell me that everything was going to work out. That Hao would be beaten, that the world would be saved, that I could be forgiven, even if Yoh didn't know that there was any reason for me to be. This walk with Yoh, instead of making me feel relaxed, was making the situation more real.

"Are you feeling all right?" Yoh asked; I hadn't noticed him looking at me in concern.

Unsure of how to answer, I looked out at the Great Spirits; though they were powerful, they remained silent.

Luckily, Yoh didn't pry, and he knew what to say. "It'll all work out."

()()()()()()

I had had my doubts about my lies to Goldva, but right now I was feeling the effects far worse. Most likely, it _would've _been better if I had just cut my ties with Yoh and the others and got it over with. I had been selfish, and it was coming back to bite me, conscience-wise.

Yoh and I walked back towards the more populated parts of the village. It was about the time where most people were up, so the streets were busier. We were about to pass by a small restaurant when Yoh stopped. "Wanna get something to eat?" he asked.

I shrugged, but followed Yoh inside nonetheless. It wasn't really full, because we came after the breakfast rush. Yoh chose a large table with extra chairs, just in case 'the others come.'

A few seconds later, Kalim came to take our orders (Yoh ordered fried noodles, while I chose water). The priest hardly looked at me, but when he was behind Yoh's back, he sent me a pointed glance.

'_**I won't be late,' **_I assured Kalim, playing with my bendy straw so that I didn't look him in the eyes, lest Yoh notice.

We sat in companionable silence as we waited for Yoh's food. I did my best not to look too… I don't know, _overwhelmed _I suppose would be a good word, but Yoh was observant.

"You know, Tori," Yoh began after Kalim put a plate of noodles in front of the Asakura and walked off to another customer, "it's all right to talk about stuff." He paused only slightly before adding in surprisingly accurate sign language, _'I won't tell anyone.'_

I looked at Yoh, but he began to eat and let me think about his words. It was true: if there was someone who would listen to me and do his best to understand, it would be Yoh. If I told him that everything he thought he knew about me was a lie, he would be shocked, yes, but he wouldn't act rashly.

But the truth was something I could tell no one. Already everything was in jeopardy; if Yoh, Ren, HoroHoro, or any of the others managed to become Shaman King, hell (or even more unlikely, Hao and Spirit of Fire) would freeze over before they accepted my aid.

In the end, when Yoh was finished with his noodles, I signed, _'All I can say is that I really shouldn't hang out with you guys anymore. Not often, at least.'_

Yoh nodded, though his eyes didn't seem happy. "If I can ask," he began, "does this have anything to do with the look Kalim shot you?"

I blinked, taken aback; Yoh was _too _observant, it felt like. I didn't reply, an answer which didn't take much to equate to _yes_.

Yoh didn't delve any farther into the subject. He put Patch dollars down on the table, leaving a little extra for Kalim, and stood, motioning for me to follow him as we left the restaurant. I felt Kalim's eyes bore into the back of my skull, his concern palpable.

Most shamans were in the street; it must've been because the second and last match of the day had finished. Yoh and I walked towards Team Funbari Onsen and Team the Ren's humble abodes. Halfway there, I suddenly prodded Yoh and asked him what time it was.

Yoh looked at his Oracle Bell. "Ten-forty-five," he said in slight surprise. "We walked for longer than I thought."

An hour and fifteen minutes. That was how long I had until noon. From here, it would take about fifteen minutes to walk to the Main House, so technically I had an hour left, give or take.

"Oh, hey!" Yoh suddenly said, and I looked to see Anna, Manta, Ryu and Faust hanging around outside a fast-food booth that Silva was managing. Yoh began to walk over, but I tugged on his sleeve and relayed that I was going to continue on (mostly because I didn't want Silva to stare at me like Kalim had… Sorry, that sentence sounded weird). Yoh gave me an understanding look and a smile, and we went our separate ways.

"_A-hem."_

I blinked, startled at the sudden sound of the intercom, and I stopped and listened, as did most of the shamans around me.

"_Good day, shamans," _Goldva went on. _"I trust that you are doing well. No doubt you have all heard that there are only two matches today, and that is true. Starting at noon sharp, the Patch will be recognizing a special holiday among our people. We ask that you respect our customs and relax for the afternoon. There will be several officials stationed around the village, although most shops will be closed. Thank you for listening and have a nice day," _he finished quickly.

Instantly, talk sprung up among the shamans around me, mostly indignant conversations about how people wouldn't be able to go souvenir shopping, though I did hear one or two people cheer about getting to take a nap. I decided to wander my way towards the Main House. I definitely did not want to get their early, but I also didn't want to get there late, Great Spirits forbid.

"Oi, Tori!"

Startled for the second time today because I wasn't paying attention to my senses, I looked to my left to see Team the Ren sitting around a table that was shaded by an overhang. It was HoroHoro who had called me.

I walked over, noticing the exasperated expression on Ren's face as he glared at HoroHoro, who held out a paper with all sorts of black lines, with all three of their names at the top of three parallel lines (although HoroHoro's was replaced with 'me'). It was a lottery.

"It's for who decides what's for lunch, since the stores are apparently closing for the afternoon," HoroHoro explained, rolling a red marker across the table. "If you do it, then it's not cheating." He glared at Ren. "I am _not _having Chinese food again."

Vaguely, I remembered HoroHoro being very happy to get Chinese food when we went to Ren's house. Anyways, I picked up the marker and uncapped it.

"I'm telling you, Ainu," Ren snapped as I chose a random line and began working my way up the lottery, "it's just lunch."

"_Who wants some punch_?"

"Apparently you do," Ren replied after he and HoroHoro both sent Chocolove sprawling to the ground.

"Anyway," HoroHoro went on, turning toward me. "Are you d- _What_?" he sputtered, seeing the lottery.

I felt a little self-conscious because of the Ainu's reaction, but I presented the lottery to the winner, Ren. He regarded it with indifference when he accepted it, but I could've sworn there was a smug glint in his eye when he stood.

"I don't trust you all to get lunch, so I'll go buy it," he said, standing. Luckily enough, there was a Chinese shop right across the street. He turned to me. "I suppose I should ask if you want food, too," he added carelessly.

I shook my head, and he shrugged before walking towards the store, though I didn't miss the glance he shot me (if I didn't imagine it).

HoroHoro was still fuming as Ren left. "I can't believe you chose him," he mumbled angrily.

I rolled my eyes. _'It's just a lottery,' _I signed, even though HoroHoro wasn't really looking at me.

Chocolove found the strength then to pull himself back into his chair. "What a trouble, though. No matches at all this afternoon, most shops closed, and only a couple officials out. What is it, a funeral?"

I blinked, but HoroHoro suddenly turned sharply to the comedian. "That's not funny, Chocolove."

"Sorry." Chocolove's cheeks darkened when he realized what he said.

HoroHoro let out something like a sigh and turned to me. "Wanna have lunch with us?" he offered.

I risked a quick look at his Oracle Bell (he had rolled up his sleeve to punch Chocolove and had yet to fix it); it read 11:17. I really should get a move on, lest something cause me to be late. I shook my head in response to the question. _'Not hungry.'_

HoroHoro frowned. "Where're you going, then?"

I shrugged and took a few casual steps backward. _'For a walk,' _I answered, ending the conversation with a wave before I turned and continued walking up the street, deciding that I should probably take a more direct route toward the Main House.

I was almost around a corner when I realized that a certain aura was following me.

I looked back, but I didn't need to see the flash of blue that hid behind a trash can to know that HoroHoro was following me.

I sighed in exasperation and walked on, more quickly than before, turning the corner and immediately ducking into an alleyway, following it until I came out onto another street. I expanded my senses and continued on.

()()()()()()()

From there, it shouldn't have taken me more than fifteen minutes to get to the Main House, but somehow HoroHoro kept almost finding me, so I had to take evasive action. Briefly, I wondered why he was doing this, but maybe he thought that I was acting strangely by not accepting the offer for food (for the Ainu, that was probably a crime). It didn't really matter though: I managed to shake him off my trail and get to the Main House with about seven minutes to spare.

The Main House was basically an assembly hall that was large enough to hold the entire Patch population and more (as it was originally designed when the Patch was a much larger tribe). It was circular and dipped toward the center, but there was an entrance room that was rather small compared to the rest. But the entirety of it was only those two rooms, and the entrance room had been added on long after the main part had been built. So this meant that the only place that I could change in semi-privacy was in the entrance room, which had a door leading outside and an open doorway leading to the assembly hall.

Luckily, my mother was there and waiting for me. She handed me my Patch robes and put my ceremonial mask over the doorway for privacy (the back of it had feet upon feet of dyed, braided cloth glued to it, so it looked like ultra-red, ultra-fake hair to match the birdlike face) before going to stand in front of the door to make sure no one tried to get in. I changed quickly and put on my headband, and when I was done my mother took down the mask and gave it to me while I gave her my clothes, which she put in the box she used to carry my robes and put it in a corner. She gave me a reassuring yet melancholy smile before assuring that Silva or someone would come to get me in a few minutes and going into the main room.

I sighed. I really didn't like these stupid ceremonies; they were really only tradition than anything else. I put on the mask, thankful that I wouldn't have to wear it long, but especially more thankful a few seconds later.

I felt his presence a moment before the door opened slightly and a crack of light fell across the floor. I turned to see a spiky head poke through.

Almost comically, HoroHoro's head whipped from side to side as he scouted the territory; when he saw me, he blanched. "Um," he began nervously. "I - I'm looking for my friend. She… might've come in here…?"

He didn't recognize me under all my tribal garb, thank the Great Spirits. However, I didn't know what to do; if I spoke with Nix, he might recognize my voice, and though he couldn't see if I was really speaking or not, telepathy could be a bad idea.

In the end, I shook my head.

HoroHoro looked unnerved but skeptical. "Are you… sure?" he asked, seeming to gain more courage. "I thought I saw her come this w-"

"To-"

I blinked and turned my head around. Silva had come to get me and was standing in the doorway; he had begun to speak, but had stopped at the sight of HoroHoro.

'_**He doesn't know who I am,' **_I explained. _**'Get him out of here!'**_

Silva put on a stern look, quickly coping. "HoroHoro. This is a Patch-_only _ceremony. Go back and enjoy the afternoon off."

"What, I can't sit in?" HoroHoro asked sarcastically, not amused. "What's the ceremony for, anyways?" he went on.

Silva was exasperated. "Goldva said over the announcements that it's a very serious ceremony that deserves the utmost respect. I apologize, HoroHoro, but you of all people should respect others' cultures."

It was a bit of a low blow to the Ainu, but HoroHoro nodded, albeit a tad stiffly. "All right. Sorry," he said before exiting and closing the door.

Oh, Great Spirits. 'Close call' was a mild way to put that experience.

Silva sighed and turned to me. "I was a little harsh, but at least you're safe."

I felt sudden indignation rise in my throat: of course I was safe with HoroHoro! But then again, Silva had probably - no, _definitely _- meant that my secret was safe, so I was overreacting. Like I did every other second nowadays.

Silva held out his hand. "It's time."

()()()()()()()()

Other than that little incident, the ceremony went off without a hitch. From noon until nightfall (and maybe a little past that), was dancing, music, food, songs, speeches, and, I have to admit, drugs and alcohol. At the very end of the celebration I bowed in front of the center pyre, which represented the Great Spirits, and Goldva took off my headband and drew my mark on my forehead with soot.

In the eyes of the Patch, with the ceremony over, I was 'ready.' Though I was ready beforehand. Like I said before, it was all just a tradition.

Incredibly tired afterwards, I changed into my normal clothes, washed my forehead with spit (there was no water on hand), and walked with my mother back to our home. Luckily, we met no one along the way (at least I don't think so… after all, I had been drinking), and I crashed onto my bed and just about passed out.

I stayed home the next day with a hangover. I didn't have as much alcohol as Goldva or the others, but I couldn't hold it like they could. My mother catered to my needs, but I mostly slept the morning away.

It was almost noon when I felt well enough to go take a shower - I smelled like smoke. A really bad, illegal-in-the-U.S.-smoke. (At least, I was pretty sure it was… I was still getting over my intoxication.)

I checked my Oracle Bell afterwards, and at that precise moment a match was decided. Team Funbari Onsen won against Team Arabian. I hadn't even known they were going to have a match.

I sighed and threw my Oracle Bell on my bed before walking barefoot out of the house (my mother was sleeping now) and went up the stairs to go and stand on my roof. The stone was hot, but I didn't mind, and the sunshine would help dry my hair, as much as it hurt my eyes.

As soon as Hao appeared, though, I wanted to sigh. I sensed him a few feet behind me; why did he always show up?

"Have a nice party?" he asked. "I remember when I used to be on the guest list."

'_**Can't you just leave me alone?' **_I asked, turning around.

Hao pouted impishly. "Aw, Tori-chan, all I want is to talk."

'_**There's nothing to talk **_**about.'**

"Of course there is," Hao replied easily. "How about this," he went on. "You let us have one day, from sunup to sundown, where it's just the two of us - no one else, no secrets. I ask a question of you, you ask a question of me, and we both have to answer. If you agree to that, I'll leave you alone till I'm Shaman King."

I was frowning before he even finished (really, before he even started talking). _**'No.'**_

Hao smirked. "Just think on it for now, Tori-chan. I'm the only one who knows that you're living completely on lies, and I'm the only one who knows the truth and will accept it."

I was about to retort when his words sunk in. _**'How…'**_

"Oh, please, why would Goldva let you wander if you didn't lie to him, too?" Hao asked.

I glared at him before stalked past him down the stairs.

"Keep my offer in mind!" Hao called cheerily.

Like hell I would.


	48. Team Sabbath

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. Never have, never will, but I do own all of my OCs.**

_AHA! Here's the second part of the dobule-update. While last chapter may have been more original, this is mostly based off the episode. In other words, FILLER! Well, mostly filler, I suppose. I can't quite remember if there really is anything too important in here, but eh. :P It's still something to read, is it not?_

_Oh, Team Sabbath. I never noticed before I had to watch the episode for this chapter, but the leader of that team is short. o.O Not a big deal, as they're anime-only filler-people (I think...), but they/he (the leader) is very loud. So is Pirika, for that matter. ("ONII-CHAN!" If I wasn't in love with Horo as well, I'd want to be his sister just so I could say that. My brother would probably think I was more insane than I already am if I called him that.)_

_Enjoy!_

**Forty-Eight: Team Sabbath**

The next day, I was feeling much better. I woke up feeling refreshed, and I got ready for the day quickly, feeling the need to go out and do something after having been cooped up all day yesterday (I had forced the conversation with Hao out of my mind, telling myself that I hadn't gone outside at all).

I bade a quick goodbye to my mother after I tied my hair in a ponytail, and left our house to hurry to the street. I hadn't eaten much yesterday, and I _really _wanted some fried noodles. Kalim's fried noodles.

I did a quick mental scan of the nearest restaurant, but no Kalim - just my luck, he was probably either not on duty yet or in another shop. I went on, continuing with my search. Because I was on alert, I was prepared when HoroHoro suddenly appeared out of the throng of people in front of me.

"Tori!" he greeted, hurrying up. "I was wondering where you were."

I was about to reply when suddenly and very loudly, my stomach grumbled in protest at the lack of food. HoroHoro grinned after a moment and burst out laughing but was also interrupted by his own stomach. He paused, his cheeks turning pink, and it was my turn to smirk.

HoroHoro seemed to get over his embarrassment within a few seconds, however. "Wanna get some food?" he asked.

()()()()()()()

Unlike Yoh the other day, HoroHoro chose a small table with only two place settings, but this was mainly because the place was packed for the breakfast rush. Unfortunately, Kalim wasn't cooking, but HoroHoro ordered us both fried noodles.

A rather uncomfortable silence followed while we waited. I sat there, staring at my plate, and waited for HoroHoro to say something. It was obvious that something was on his mind, what with the anxious twitching of his fingers on the table.

Finally, I was about to try to start a conversation when he said suddenly, "Where were you yesterday?"

The question caught me off-guard, though I didn't really know why it should - not only had they not seen me for over twenty-four hours, which was something that felt odd after we all traveled together for so long, but I had also missed Yoh's match with Ryu and Faust.

'_I ate something bad,' _I answered, not entirely telling a lie. _'I was sick.'_

HoroHoro blinked. "Oh." He paused. "It's not contagious, is it?"

I laughed slightly, and the tension was officially broken. _'It was just something I ate. It's not the plague.'_

HoroHoro shrugged. "You can't be too careful. By the way," he went on as a harassed-looking waiter pushed our meals in front of us, "Yoh's team won a match yesterday, if you didn't hear."

I nodded in acknowledgement, and we ate our food in a now comfortable silence. It didn't take us long, considering how hungry we both were, but when HoroHoro went to take money of out his pocket to pay the bill, his eyes suddenly widened. Frantically, he searched his other pocket, his sleeves, and even his shoes, but came up with nothing. I let him panic for a couple seconds more before I pulled the appropriate amount of money out of my bag and onto the table. Apparently knowing that I let him suffer, HoroHoro glared at me for a moment before letting out a chuckle, and we both got up to leave.

"Oi," HoroHoro began when we stepped outside. He pointed to a small mass of people. "Whataya think's going on over there?"

I shrugged, and we made to walk around them all. I thought I could sense a familiar aura somewhere in there, but I couldn't be sure, as it was all a jumble of radiant energy, much like a jumble of voices. One voice rose out above the rest.

"The crash of thunder is the cry of the devil! This is your final warning! Eternal darkness is coming!"

HoroHoro and I both paused and looked at each other; neither of us looked very impressed. "What're they talking about?" he asked.

"The sun shall rise no longer!" the voice continued. "If we don't stop the witch's spell, every soul will be engulfed by the growing darkness! It will be the end. Soon this world will be ruled by the Evil One!"

HoroHoro and I simultaneously burst into chuckles. "Who would believe something like-" he started as we began to walk away, but another voice, high and insistent, caught out attentions.

"So will my onii-chan get eaten by the devil, too?"

…_Pirika?_

"Oh yeah!" the first voice agreed as HoroHoro slid (well, more like he pushed) through the crowd; I followed close behind. "_Everything _shall burn in the scorching flames of hell."

"That can't be…!" the second voice nearly wailed.

"Don't tell me…" HoroHoro muttered as he peered around a person. "_Pirika_?"

"_Onii-chan!_!" HoroHoro was suddenly knocked into, and I had to jump out of the way in order to avoid the two of them.

Yup. Definitely Pirika.

"Onii-chan! Kororo! I'm so sorry!" Pirika cried.

"Why are you here?" HoroHoro asked; the two of them were standing stationary now, so I deemed it safe to approach and came to HoroHoro's left side.

Pirika ignored the question. "Come back with me. Right now!" She seemed to half-notice me for the first time. "Tori-nee-chan! You can come with us too!" she added, pulling me into some weird group hug.

Since when had I become 'Tori-nee-chan'? I was surprised that she could even remember me; we'd hardly communicated, and she thought I might try to sabotage HoroHoro's chances in the Fight when we first met! Plus, she was only a year or two younger than me. Maybe she was putting aside past differences 'in the face of the end.'

"_What_?" HoroHoro asked while Kororo cooed in confusion.

"Let's be together as a family for the end, okay?" Pirika continued, pulling away enough for me to slip out of her grip. "Even if we created the field of coltsfoot, the Koro Pokkuru and we would be-" She failed to finish her sentence due to the fact that large waterfalls were streaming from her eyes (and a small one from her nose).

HoroHoro shared a look with Kororo and then with me as if to silently ask 'What the hell should I do?' However, his big brother-ness came out and he looked back at his sister. "Baka! What're you saying?"

"But the world is going to end!" Pirika moaned.

"Don't believe everything you're told," HoroHoro scoffed.

Pirika stopped crying abruptly. "It's a lie?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Oh," Pirika said, pulling away from her brother; I couldn't tell if she was amused at herself or just plain embarrassed. "I got worried over nothing," She did a quick one-eighty on her heel. "Oi!" she called, "don't say that nonsense! I almost believed you!"

The group she was speaking to was a trio of men in black clothes; they resembled a Christian rock group, complete with a Bible tucked under the lead man's arm. I'd never seen them before due to luck of the fights they were in that I didn't get to watch, but I could already tell that they would be put in the 'extremist' category.

"It's not a lie," the leader said. "Don't doubt me!"

Pirika moved behind me and her brother; I kind of wanted to do the same.

The leader held up his pointer finger importantly; I had to admit, the man had… charisma. (But then I noticed that he was standing on a box because he was so short.) "The world has existed as it is for the past five hundred years, but death is most definitely approaching now!" He held out his Bible. "The devil will come, and he will reign for the next five hundred years!"

Even before he finished speaking, HoroHoro whipped around and led his sister away, grabbing my arm to pull me along in the process; needless to say, I did not resist in the slightest.

"Oi, wait!" Extremist called. "I'm not done talking yet!"

I sighed and turned around, as did HoroHoro. "Sorry," the Ainu said (he didn't sound it), "but it has nothing to do with me."

"That's right!" Pirika put in. "If my onii-chan becomes the Shaman King, the devil won't come!"

"What?" Extremist asked, appalled. "You're participating in the Shaman Fight as well?"

"Damn straight!" HoroHoro said boastingly (oh, men), rolling down his sleeve to show off his Oracle Bell. "So what if I am?"

Extremist pointed an accusing finger at the Ainu boy. "Children shouldn't get themselves involved in this fight!"

_Says the man who needs to stand on a box to be seen._

"Wha?" HoroHoro said. "Why not?"

"Don't you understand?" Extremist scoffed. "Because the mission of the Shaman King is so arduous and his responsibilities are so profound, a child is unfit for the job!"

"You shouldn't make such assumptions," HoroHoro whispered dangerously.

"Oh yeah!" Extremist suddenly yelled, holding up his Bible; I winced, unprepared for the blast to my eardrums. "Listen, boy! People despise darkness. However, the darkness is infinitely diverse. Because people can't decide who their enemy is, they can't decide which road they should take, either. In order to join the hearts of the people as one, someone must become the source of all evil and become the common enemy of the world!"

…I supposed that I could see how that could make sense…

"That's your theory!" HoroHoro spat.

"That's why I'm going to become the root of all evil and despair by my own free will," Extremist continued. "Children like you don't have the experience nor the determination to carry such a heavy burden."

Oh, if only I could tell this guy what was put on my shoulders when my first body was a _baby_.

"Yeah, I never planned to in the first place," HoroHoro said. "I have a dream of my own."

Extremist sighed. "You, girl," he said suddenly, addressing me. "Please don't tell me that you too are in the Shaman Fight?"

The irony made me let out a breath of laughter that made Extremist's eyebrow go up, and I held out my Oracle Bell-less arms. I don't really know why I responded.

"Come on," HoroHoro said, grasping my wrist. Pirika was beside him, obviously ready to go due to the glares she was giving Extremist.

"Oi," Extremist said. "Why don't you let her speak for herself?"

"She can't," HoroHoro retorted shortly before tugging me along, Pirika sticking her tongue out at the dark-clothed trio before walking beside him; I gained my footing quickly so that he wouldn't have to drag me.

"The devil has already touched her, then! Perhaps she made a deal with him!"

HoroHoro stopped dead, and his grip on my wrist tightened. I saw him work his jaw, as if he really wanted to turn and punch the guy in the face, but all he did was continue on abruptly, accidentally jerking me forward. I didn't complain, though; I was happy to get away from those guys.

()()()()()()

HoroHoro didn't seem to happy when I suggested it, but I left him and his sister to catch up in another restaurant (where I could sense Kalim was; I wanted his fried noodles still). I figured that since the two of them hadn't seen each other in months, I'd be a third wheel anyway.

I wondered what had gone through HoroHoro's mind when Extremist said that I'd 'made a deal with the devil.' I thought nothing of it - for that guy couldn't have been more wrong - but I supposed that HoroHoro might've been mad because Extremist had sort of been insulting a handicapped girl. I probably would've felt the same if our roles had been reversed.

Though I remembered telling Yoh that I should be spending less time with them, I decided to go looking for him and the others. I could've (_should've_) gone to watch a match, since I was pretty sure that there would be one taking place in the main arena instead of somewhere outside, but I didn't really feel like it.

I decided to look for them manually instead of using my sensing. By luck, I walked for about fifteen minutes before finding Yoh, Anna, Manta, Ren and Chocolove outside - you guessed it - another restaurant.

"Hi, Tori-kun!" Manta greeted, since he was the first to notice me. They were loosely gathered around a stand of sample food. "We were gonna have lunch. Wanna join us?"

I shrugged. _'I had a late breakfast, but maybe I'll have something.' _

Yoh smiled at me in greeting and turned back to the display case. "Maybe I'll have the fried rice," he said dreamily.

"You shouldn't eat anything with carbohydrates after exercising." The sentence itself was a suggestion, but Anna's real suggestion was: 'The only way that is getting in your stomach is if I shove it up your ass.' "Go with some fried leeks."

"…I don't like raw-smelling food…"

Ren huffed at Yoh's words. "You can't beat me while you still have likes and dislikes."

"Even though you have a strong sense of likes and dislikes towards other people," Chocolove said, promptly beating me to it.

"_What did you say_?" Ren snapped.

"…Those guys really piss me off…"

I had sensed HoroHoro coming with Pirika a moment before, but I turned with the others only when his voice reached our ears.

"Hi, everyone!" Pirika greeted when they came close. "Long time no see!"

"Pirika-chan!" Manta greeted.

"Who's she?" Chocolove asked.

"_HoroHoro no imouto da_," Ren replied. "She's HoroHoro's younger sister."

"_Hoku hoku no imo kutta!_" Chocolove punned, holding up some potatoes that he must've pulled out of thin air. "I ate some warm sweet potatoes!"

To say silence met his words was an understatement. There was just no way to respond to that…

"_What_?" Chocolove cried. "No reaction?"

"Don't try too hard, you just met her," Ren sighed.

Suddenly, Pirika started… laughing. Not like me, at people's _reactions_ to Chocolove's jokes, but at the joke _itself_. She beat HoroHoro on the back as she just about fell into hysterics. "HoroHoro and _hoku hoku_… '_Imouto' _and '_Imo' _were puns! I had to think about it a little!"

"…What a slow girl…" Chocolove was shocked.

"Be thankful for her weird sense of humor," Ren said, looking like he'd rather be anywhere but there. "She wouldn't be laughing without it."

"_What was that_?"

"So what were you annoyed at?" Yoh asked once Pirika's laughing had died down.

"Oh yeah," HoroHoro said, remembering. He explained as we went inside the restaurant and sat down.

"Children can't become Shaman King?" Chocolove exploded.

"Yeah," HoroHoro said. "He was so nosy and kept bothering me. He even picked on Tori because she's mute," he added grumpily. "And he wasn't even listening to my story. He kept babbling on about his own thoughts."

"That's annoying," Manta agreed.

"Isn't it?" Pirika said. "Since my onii-chan is the one who will become the Shaman King."

"Oi, oi, that's not true," Chocolove put in. "The one who will become the Shaman King is me, Chocolove-sama."

Ren huffed. "Well," he said, "people are free to keep dreaming."

Chocolove, Pirika, and HoroHoro blew up at him, but I couldn't help but chuckle for some reason.

Yoh couldn't either. "Well, it's all right. Everyone has their reasons. As long as you believe in them, everything's all right."

"That's right," Manta said.

Chocolove made a pun, and silence reigned once again until… Pirika burst out laughing.

()()()()()()

I yawned as I pulled on my nightshirt. It had really been a long day. I'd done some research on my Oracle Bell to find out that the Extremist trio was Team Sabbath, and I also found out that they were going to go up against Team the Ren.

Coincidence: maybe not.

()()()()()()

I went early to the stadium the next day, planning to save us all some prime seats, but Pirika was already there. It didn't take long for the others to come, and soon the place was packed; Team the Ren was starting to become more known, but Team Sabbath, due to their leader's big mouth, was more renown. It was going to be an interesting match.

Team the Ren stood across from Team Sabbath in the arena; Kalim was the officiator.

"That's one creepy group," Amidamaru noted from behind us.

"Team Sabbath…" Manta didn't sound really confident. "According to HoroHoro, their powers are connected to the devil…"

"That might not be true," Anna said evenly from beside me; I was between her and Pirika. "Since he isn't causing any problems." She sent a pointed look at Faust, who only had eyes for Eliza.

"Looks like she's right," Manta said, and he and Yoh chuckled. I had to as well.

"I sense a dark power from them, though," Amidamaru said. "It's not a mortal grudge…"

"Well, we won't know till the fight starts," Yoh replied.

I watched as Team the Ren and Team Sabbath seemed to size each other up. It was really hard to hear them, since the arena was so big and there were so many people, even if I were to try and unite fully with Nix. I saw Extremist point at HoroHoro, and I took a guess that he wanted a one-on-one match between the two of them while their teammates took care of each other. There was a bit of discussion, but I was pretty sure that HoroHoro agreed to it after a prompting from Ren (who looked rather bloodthirsty when he brandished Houraiken). The one thing you _could _hear, though, was Chocolove's scream after he made a pun. (Team the Ren 101: Ren + bad pun = sword in Chocolove's nose.)

"Onii-chan!" Pirika suddenly called out loudly, holding out clasped hands. "Please teach him that our dream isn't a mistake!"

HoroHoro seemed to hear her, because I saw him turn back, and I think he smiled.

"_We will now hold the match between Team the Ren and Team Sabbath!" _Kalim called out, his voice amplified by a microphone.

Very soon, all shamans on the field oversouled; Team Sabbath, while their oversouls were about the same size as Ren and the others', weren't really noteworthy except for Extremist's oversoul, which was an overlarge, white, scaly dragon.

"_Shaman Fight!" _Kalim called_. "Ready… Fight!"_

Immediately, all three of Team the Ren rushed forward, and Extremist's dragon shot out a blast of fire from its maw, which HoroHoro negated with a shield of ice, coming in close. The dragon whipped with its tail, but Kororo put up another ice shield, and there was an explosion of dust from them, which took a few seconds to die down.

The two oversouls that Ren and Chocolove were battling came together in midair and lifted their arms to form what looked like electric orbs, which they shot at Ren and Chocolove. The two jumped at the attacks and went through harmlessly before they completely obliterated the oversouls.

HoroHoro took the opportunity, for Extremist seemed to be concerned for his teammates, and attacked by having icicles shoot up from the ground. Extremist's dragon quickly annulled the attack with a blast of fire, which caused steam to cloud the immediate area. I squinted, but Extremist quickly revealed himself when he had his dragon rush forward-

…and swallow HoroHoro right off of Kororo's shoulder.

Pirika screeched beside me, but I think the only reason I knew was because my ears hurt.

I think I might've been in shock as I watched the dragon's wings encircle Kororo; both oversouls became a sphere that glittered sinister rainbow colors. HoroHoro was inside that, in Extremist's home turf, so to speak. He was alone in this fight.

There was nothing to do but wait. I wanted to prod the oversoul with my senses to try and get a feel for what it was like inside - if anything, it was probably something that tipped the advantage to Extremist guy entirely - but the furyoku level, while I had faced larger, was almost nauseating to be in the presence of. Probably because of Extremist's thoughts.

I felt Pirika fidget beside me slightly. I noticed her clenching her hands, which were clasped as if she were praying. I felt worried myself.

"_Onii-chan_!" Pirika suddenly yelled, standing up; her voice echoed throughout the stadium. "_Please don't lose_!"

I noticed a change in the aura of the sphere, and I think it might've started to become a bit brighter in color, instead of the gloomy hues.

And two seconds later, white light erupted from it that soon filled the whole stadium. Before I was forced to squeeze my eyes shut, I was sure I saw the outline of Kororo's giant form.

"_Winner," _Kalim called, _"Team the Ren!"_


	49. BONUS: The Cureiosity of Faust VIII

**_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King._**

_WHAT'S THIS? I'M UPDATING **BEFORE **FRIDAY? Yes, folks, I am. Why? Because I'M CELEBRATING THE 100TH REVIEW FOR MUFFLED! *throws confetti, cuts cake, yada yada yada* (I'd give y'all cake if I could, but that's why I'm giving you THIS.) I'm not sure if this is the perfect oneshot (hell, I seriously doubt it), but Kovou wanted something about a Faust/Manta/Tori dynamic, you know, when they kinda understand each other a little better. It's short-ish as well, shorter than a usual chapter. And I'm not a Faust expert._

_This oneshot takes place the night after Yoh, Ryu, and Faust fight Pino & co. You can see it as AU if you want, as it will never (or most likely never) be mentioned in the story, though I did just skip the Pino Fight ep altogether. It doesn't matter, mostly because it's not from Tori's POV and is therefore not of her thoughts. Oh, but whose POV is it from? Hehe._

_Random side-note: it feels SO WEIRD talking about Tori from 3rd person... Enjoy, and expect another chapter Friday! *mumbles: I'm running out of buffer chapters...*_

**Bonus Oneshot: The "Cure"-iosity of Faust VIII**

**Specially dedicated to ****Kovou****, who gave Muffled its 100****th****review :D And also to all you wonderful reviewers!**

Though it was nearing eleven p.m., no one had made a move to go upstairs to their rented rooms to sleep, and had instead stayed in the restaurant of the small tavern. It was understandable, though - everyone was still excited from watching Yoh, Ryu, and Faust take down Pino and Co. But, of course, who wouldn't be?

Manta couldn't help but grin as the ever-present babble of the group bombarded his ears. Tamao had somehow been embarrassed, and her normally soft voice was ironically amplified as she sputtered. Ren and HoroHoro were threatening Chocolove while Jun laughed; Ryu was trying (and failing) to hit on the girl from Pino's group; and Anna was growling at Yoh as if he had somehow managed to one-up her (which was rare to say the least).

Manta could say it a thousand times over and it would never lose its meaning: he loved this, the palpable anger, joy, embarrassment, and laughter in the air. The friendship.

As had become a habit, Manta turned to cast a glance at Tori, as she was usually a silent communicator. Currently, the redhead was sitting at the table beside him, resting her chin in the palm of her hand that wasn't bound in gauze along with her arm. (Manta was still a little surprised that she had fallen in the first place, and that she had only sprained her arm.) A smile was on her face, but something was off about it, and her blue eyes almost seemed to be somewhere else.

Though Manta's best friend was undoubtedly Yoh in anyone's eyes, Tori was nearly on the same level as the Asakura in importance. After all, she had saved him from being beaten _too _badly by Ryu's gang (something that had long since been forgiven), and he had known her for just about as long as Yoh. Tori was kind and loyal - as she had shown him when Yoh had gone to Izumo - and she didn't put up with stupidity. She may not have been as strong or skilled as the others, but she wasn't an idiot or a coward.

But still, Manta had sometimes found himself wondering about Tori. No pun intended, but she was very quiet about herself. Manta couldn't even remember if she ever mentioned her last name. He did remember her spirit Nix saying once that she could communicate silently with ghosts when they first met Mosuke, but neither of them mentioned it again. At first, Manta had thought nothing of it, but when Yoh and the others had been about to leave for America on Ren's plane, he could've sworn that he had heard her say _something_, but that could've just been his imagination, or the sound of the jet engine. And Tori had seemed so _sad _when they were leaving…

Manta opened his mouth to ask if she felt all right when he was suddenly picked up easily and put down on the table to come face-to-face with Faust. A bead of nervous sweat appeared on Manta's head. Despite knowing that Faust was wholeheartedly on Yoh's side now that Anna had called Eliza back, the doctor still scared the hell out of him.

The bead of sweat was accompanied by another one when he realized that it looked like Tori had just barely stopped herself from doing… _something _or other in response to Faust's action. All the while, none of this was being noticed by the others, whom were continuing on with their overloud conversations.

"It's all right, Tori-kun," Faust said before Manta could get a chance to. "I'm only studying his stature. I'm curious to know why-"

"I've told you before," Manta interrupted. Needless to say, he was not amused at having his height (or lack thereof) brought up. "It's just genetics. My father's like this, and so is my sister."

"It's still fascinating," Faust replied simply.

"Tori made a sort-of huff, and it took Manta a moment for realize that it was a cynical, disbelieving snort - perhaps involuntary. But that was something Manta had noticed: that Tori had become a bit darker and distant. It wasn't a huge difference, and maybe she had always been this way and Manta had never perceived it, but nevertheless it brought out Manta's usual desire to help and cheer people up.

"Don't worry, Tori-kun," the shot boy said. "Faust really isn't going to do anything to me. I told you what Anna did."

Faust smiled. "I'll find a cure for Manta yet."

The Oyamada's face dropped.

In response to his facial expression, Tori chuckled her breathy chuckle and, as if she couldn't help it, ruffled his hair much like one would do to a puppy. As if Faust's declaration wasn't enough, now he felt even smaller. He couldn't help but smile after a moment, though. Neither meant any ill-will, anyways.

"By the way," Faust began, "I've been meaning to ask you about your muteness, Tori-kun."

The girl blinked her blue eyes. After a moment, her body glowed slightly for a second as she united with her spirit with practiced ease; she barely moved a muscle. "Go ahead," she said in her rather raspy voice. Though it was easier to understand her this way, Manta had to admit that her voice was slightly ear-grating.

Faust's attention had completely left the Oyamada. "Were you born mute?"

Tori shook her head as Manta remembered Tamao asking the redhead the same thing. "Hit my head when I was little. That's why Nix-"

"Can bypass your brain and control your vocal chords," Faust finished, putting two and two together very quickly. "So your voice box isn't damaged in the least? It's just a brain injury?"

Manta noted that Tori didn't look very happy at being cut off, but she seemed to get over it quickly. "Yes."

"Was anything else affected by your accident?"

"No."

"Curious," Faust mused, taking a moment to scratch at his scalp under his flowery hat. "I suppose you're lucky that way… I would like to get an MRI," he muttered, mostly to himself, "and even so, a look at your throat-"

"W-wait," Tori stuttered. "I don't need that."

For a wild moment, Manta was afraid. Faust appeared to want to cure Tori of her muteness, and though the short boy agreed with her that she didn't need one, he knew that Faust had a one-track mind when it came to a diagnosis and treatment. Hell, he wanted to cheat Manta's genetics and make the boy taller - not that the vertically challenged boy would _mind _being taller, but there was also the point that Tori didn't _want _to be "cured."

Faust blinked, but relaxed. "Understandable. I was getting ahead of myself. I want to cure anyone who needs me to do so."

Manta noticed Tori falter slightly at the doctor's words. "I don't need a cure," she said finally; it was said in stubbornness, but also in uncertainty about the German man's statement.

Faust was silent for a moment. Among the three of them, Manta could feel a gravity forming, one that affected only them and not any of the babble around them.

"Tori-kun," the doctor began, "I'm not going to ask you to forgive or forget about what I did, for while I am sorry about it, it was for Eliza. But please; I have Eliza now, and I will fight for Yoh-kun only. All I do ask if that you know those days are over."

Manta looked from Tori to Faust and back again. A silence had settled; Faust had his usual serious/calm look on his face, and Tori's expression was nearly unreadable as she thought. Briefly, Manta wondered if she was communicating with Nix.

Very suddenly, the silence of the trio was shattered as a cry of "BOROBORO!" rang out, and the Ainu himself nearly knocked over the table as he was thrown into it from nearly halfway across the room. The sudden jolt on the tabletop lurched Manta forward, but luckily Faust caught him with deft hands. Tori jerked to attention, looking as if she wanted to snap at HoroHoro for scaring the crap out of them.

If she was going to, though, she was interrupted when the bartender cried out, "OI!" as HoroHoro muttered something along the lines of _damn Tao. _"Quit that or I'll throw your asses out!"

"I wish I could control his stupidity," Ren "apologized" from where he stood beside a booth, crossing his arms.

HoroHoro was immediately upright. "Wanna take this outside, then?"

"You're not worth the time."

"Why you-"

"If you two don't shut up," Anna said with cold calmness, "you'll learn of fates far worse than death."

Silence hung throughout the entire room.

"Good," Anna noted, going back to sipping her drink.

Nervous, Manta turned his attention back to Faust and Tori (the former of who had put him back on the table). Currently, Tori's previous look of surprise and irritation had faded into a soft smile at the scene. Briefly, Manta wondered why she would smile - for normally only Yoh would smile in such a carefree way at a "friendly-fight," but never would he smile like that at one of Anna's threats. He remembered, way back when, HoroHoro asking him to teach him some sign language, and he wondered if the Ainu had managed to make a move yet and if she were smiling because of that. (But then again, while Manta was definitely not good at the whole boy-girl relationship thing, he knew HoroHoro was too dense to be in any way good at coming clean about such things.)

Very surprised at how his mind had gone from nervous to a tangent, Manta snapped back to reality.

"How's your arm?" Faust asked, indicating Tori's gauze-bound limb.

Tori blinked at him, and for a moment Manta thought that guilt flickered in her eyes, though he couldn't be sure what about. "Better," she replied, smiling slightly.


	50. Nichrom

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. And unless you're Hiroyuki Takei, neither do you.**

_Good day, my readers. Welcome to Chapter 49 - Nichrom. Oh, I hope I got his character down right. He's kinda interesting, if you think about it. I'm trying to get the two different sides of him - light and dark. I mean, before his brother died (*coughmurderedcough* *Ren glares*), he must've had some sort of humor or something. :P Eh._

_Don't really like the beginning part much. The chapter's kinda jumpy to me and at some parts not too descriptive I think. I do like the later parts, though. But anyways, I gotta get going - Math Homework, it is such a bore. But I must do it...!_

_Enjoy!_

**Forty-Nine: Nichrom**

That morning, I woke up to the sound of soft knocks on my door. "You have company," my mother called.

I did a quick mental scan as I got out of bed and went over to my dresser. _**'I'll be out in five,' **_I relayed to both my mother and the guest. I dressed quickly and grabbed my ribbon, deciding that I might as well tie my hair up in the main room. I exited my room and went to sit at the table with our guest, Nichrom.

'_**What's up, Nic-chan?' **_I asked. As with Silva, I liked to tease Nichrom, as he was closest to my age. Nichrom and I had spent more time together than I had with any other Patch, but I also hadn't seen him other than at my birthday.

…Oh, Great Spirits, it slipped my mind about Chrom.

Nichrom smiled, thankfully unable to read my thoughts. "Cat-chan." His grin grew impishly when I tried to swat at him - I hated that name.

'_**What do you want, Nichrom?' **_I asked, making my telepathy open to the room._** 'You haven't come by - I thought you'd forgotten about me.' **_Honestly, I hadn't thought of him at all.

"I wish," Nichrom grumbled mockingly. "Kidding!" he cried when I managed to get a swat in on his ear. "Who could forget about you? Anyways," he went on, "I was wondering if you wanted to spend the day with me - you know, doing something other than drugs," he joked, alluding to my 'birthday bash' as he'd called it in past years.

'_**Ugh, don't remind me,' **_I pleaded. _**'But what's in it for me if I go out with you today?'**_

Nichrom shrugged. "Oh, I don't know, it's not like I'm handsome or anything."

I laughed. _**'You **_**wish. **_**And you know I can't think of you as any more than a brother.' **_Not that I thought of him that way in the first place; I may have trusted Nichrom, but the Patch really only put up with me because of what I did. It wasn't a secret between me and them.

He chuckled. "_You _wish. Anyway," he continued, standing up. "Shall we?"

'_**Actually, I can't be seen with people who're wearing that,' **_I joked, pointing at his robes. _**'It would look a little suspicious.'**_

Nichrom rolled his eyes. "Well, what do you suppose I wear? I don't think your skirts are my style."

"I still have Dakota's old clothes," my mother piped up from where she drank her tea at the counter. "I'll go get them."

Ten minutes later, Nichrom looked like a changed boy (I refused to call him a man). He wore an old t-shirt and jeans, though he still wore his own sandals. Surprisingly, it was a well-enough fit.

'_**Where shall we go, O Great One?' **_I asked as we stepped outside. Immediately, I put Nix and my senses on high alert, lest we come across Yoh or the others; I didn't want to explain who Nichrom was.

The replacement priest shrugged. "Breakfast and a match?"

()()()()()()

"Aren't you supposed to be supervising the east dining hall?" Silva asked in an angered whisper after he put our food in front of us on the counter. Currently, he was wearing an apron with the word 'Patchdonald's' on it.

"Only from five o'clock to eight." Nichrom waved him off and turned his attention to his fried eggs. "And Cat-chan deserves my attention today."

I chuckled. _**'Let it go, Silva-chan. Shamans can feed themselves.'**_

Silva wasn't impressed. "We are hosting the _Shaman Fight_. I don't want you to neglect your duties," he told Nichrom. "I know you're young, but that doesn't give you the excuse to go run around. I'll allow it for today, but I'd better see you there tomorrow - or better yet, tonight."

"All right," Nichrom replied through a mouthful of fried egg. Silva hit his forehead in exasperation.

()()()()()()

'_**That was rather boring,' **_I commented as Nichrom and I stood up from our seats after the match was over. By now, it was a little after midday - the match had worn on for a little while.

Nichrom gave me a strange look. "I thought the winning team-"

'_**Wait,' **_I interrupted. Without caring where we went, I grasped Nichrom's hand and ducked into the alcove that led to the bathrooms, pulling him into the corner.

"What is it?" Nichrom asked, perplexed.

'_**Team the Ren,' **_I replied, too preoccupied with mentally tracking said boys to really hear Nichrom. I noticed one of them nearing, and I mentally swore. _**'Sorry, Nichrom, but it raises too many questions - wait for me,' **_I relayed quickly, hurrying into the women's room.

()()()()()()

When Chocolove finally left the bathroom almost five minutes later, I waited about ten seconds more before coming back out into the alcove. Luckily, Nichrom hadn't abandoned me; he was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, and an unreadable expression in his eyes as he watched a few people go past.

It was only then that I realized that I had tactlessly blurted the name 'Ren' - Chrom's murderer.

Before I could say anything, Nichrom turned to me. "Why did you travel with those guys?"

I blinked, the question catching me off-guard. Remembering the lie I told Goldva, I replied, _**'I can't tell you.' **_

Nichrom turned his gaze away; his posture was… quiet. "You know that Tao-"

'_**I was there, Nichrom. You don't have to remind me.'**_

Nichrom didn't move. "…Catori, when I first found out… I wanted to _kill _him, with my bare hands." I noticed his fist clench.

I crossed my arms across my chest self-consciously. _**'…I know the feeling.'**_

"But Catori," Nichrom went on; an emotion not unlike eagerness came into his voice. "Someone helped me… Nyorai-sama."

The abrupt turn in conversation startled me, but I stayed silent as Nichrom turned to me.

"I want you to meet Nyorai-sama," he said, grasping my hand and beginning to lead me along; I was unnerved, but I didn't resist. "At first," he continued, "she scared me; but she helps you accept the darkness in your own heart, if you just listen to her."

()()()()()()

Eventually, we finally came to the outskirts of the village, in a hilly area that had had stairs carved into it long ago to lead up to a temple that was built by foreigners in the last Shaman Fight. It was a long walk up the stairs, and there were a few people following the same path as well. I could faintly hear some sort of song on the wind that sent chills up my spine.

'_**Nix, come closer,' **_I whispered mentally; the phoenix, who had been keeping an eye out high above, swooped down and hovered over my shoulder in his spirit ball form.

There were more people at the temple itself, kneeling at its metaphorical feet. My uneasiness grew as Nichrom pulled me through the crowd to where a small girl wearing violet robes was standing; she was surrounded by three oversouls that would pass to the naked eye as rather ugly men.

"Nyorai-sama," Nichrom greeted - his tone took on one of great respect and peace. He pulled me up beside him. "This is Tori, my friend."

…Nichrom may have been my Patch kin, but he wasn't really my friend, and my trust in him was diminishing even though I was still concerned about his odd behavior.

Nyorai looked at me; her ebony eyes were all I needed to see to know that she had some type of mind-reading ability. Normally, those didn't work on me, but I had a terrible feeling in my gut.

'_**Nichrom.' **_I tugged on his hand. _**'I can't just let her-'**_

"Don't worry," Nichrom assured me. "Nyorai-sama can only read the darkness in a person's heart, nothing more."

"You're a hard one to read," Nyorai admitted.

Startled, I met her eyes, but that was my mistake.

"'They'd never accept me.'"

My insides froze.

"'They say they're my friends but they'd never understand,'" Nyorai continued.

'_**Catori,' **_Nix urged, moving closer to my feather. _**'We need to leave.'**_

"'I let them suffer while I knew what they needed all along, and more.'" Nyorai's voice was as harsh as an icy wind, but it was soft and… somehow lulling. "'I don't deserve to even know them.'"

…_Stop…_

Nyorai paused slightly, her eyebrows tightening as if she had trouble reading the next secret. "'…I k-'"

I let out a gasping breath and turned tail, wrenching my hand out of Nichrom's grip so that I could bolt freely. I went two steps before oversouling Nix and taking off.

()()()()()()

I didn't know how long I flew, nor how far. Nix was my silent support, doing nothing to intrude as I struggled to subdue my thoughts, my selfish, terrible thoughts. I didn't want to face them, not now, not ever.

Why, _why_, had I decided to prolong this stupid situation? It wouldn't have amounted to anything, and never had it truly amounted to anything in the first place. It put me through more trouble than was worth.

I finally landed, though I don't know why. I wasn't anywhere near home - if I could say I had one - but I felt disoriented. I looked around for the nearest bench and sat, bowing my head and massaging my forehead with my fingertips.

"Tori-nee-chan?"

If it hadn't been the voice I had least expected, I don't know if I would've looked up. Pirika was standing there, her satchel slung over one arm, an inquisitive, worried look in her blue eyes. When I didn't reply, she came closer.

"What's wrong?" she asked. She paused. "Um… Onii-chan said you could speak when your spirit…"

I nodded once slowly, for some reason deciding that I might as well humor Pirika, and united with Nix to answer, "…I've had a long day."

Pirika got an odd glint in her eye, and before I knew it, I was being pulled by the hand and dragged; for some reason, not only was I too surprised to resist, I didn't have the heart to pull away from the younger girl.

"…Pirika?" I managed.

"Hai?" she replied, but didn't slow down.

"Where are you taking me?"

The young girl turned to flash me a smile. "You'll see!"

()()()()()()

I'm not sure what kind of power Pirika had, but I could understand why HoroHoro could be scared of her. She was like Anna in the aspect that you didn't want to argue with her when she got her mind set on something. However, this didn't stop me from hesitating when she pulled me into a private Patch onsen.

"Um… Pirika?"

The girl had just about thrown her satchel in a corner and had begun to take off her sweater. She turned her head around, her blue hair tossing over her shoulder. "What?"

I bit my lip, unsure of how to go about this. I wasn't going to argue about the onsen itself, since I had a feeling that hot water was really what I needed right now, but… "I'm, uh… shy…?"

"Oh." Pirika laughed a bit. "We'll wear towels, don't worry - and I'll let you change in here," she said, zipping her sweater back up and moving out into the changing room and closing the door behind her, but not before she tossed a few extra towels and adding, "I'll only give you a couple minutes, though!"

A little nervous about the situation, but more about how fast it had all seemed to have happened, I changed quickly and put my clothes in the corner, tying my hair in a bun before grabbing a towel and wrapping it tightly around my body. It felt like only minutes ago I had been staring down Nyorai…

I lowered myself into the bath and went to sit on the far side, near the fountain-like spout of water. I only sat in solitude for a few moments before Pirika came in the room, a towel around her body and her hair in a bun like mine. She closed the door behind her before coming in the bath, letting out an audible sigh of content and relaxing into the water.

Oddly, the minutes of silence that followed this were comfortable. Maybe it was the warm water.

Finally, Pirika started a conversation. "You can tell me, Tori-nee-chan, but only if you want."

I nodded slightly, but then looked at her curiously. "Why did you suddenly start calling me 'nee-chan'?"

Pirika blinked. "Well," she began, "I thought you were dating onii-chan, since-"

"Wh_- excuse me_?" The words were equally mine and Nix's, but it was the phoenix who forced them out; I was shocked, but he was _horrified_.

Pirika started a little at my (well, _our_) sudden outburst. "He's always liked you," she defended. "It was only you two around; sorry." Despite her somewhat indignant tone, she did sound rather apologetic. "I still kinda want to call you nee-chan though," she added quickly.

I blinked. I wasn't oblivious - I was thousands of years old. I knew from countless observations how male teens were. I knew in the beginning that HoroHoro had liked me (he'd gone through the trouble of learning to sign; I have to admit, that's persistence), but I was pretty sure that he'd grown out of that enough to value me as a friend…

…but he'd never understand, which was not something that Nyorai had to tell me.

In any case, for Pirika to think that I would ever date her brother was preposterous even if it was remotely possible.

"It's all right," I sighed. "You just assumed."

Pirika's expression turned to a sort of pout-like frown, and she thought for a second. "…Would you ever go out with onii-chan?"

"No." This was my answer, but even if it wasn't, Nix was palpably adamant about this. "HoroHoro's my friend, nothing more," I added, staring at the steamy water. I didn't deserve to be his friend, or anyone else's. All I had was Nix.

There was another silence, heavier than before. I was ready to go home - I needed sleep. It felt like today had lasted both just five minutes and forever.

"…Tori-nee-chan?"

I blinked at the honorific and looked up as Pirika continued. "I don't know why you looked so tired before, but onii-chan's made me feel overwhelmed before. You should take a few days off to rest." She looked at the water and smiled fondly at a memory. "It helps to take time off and coming back to something a little later."

()()()()()()

I took Pirika's advice and went home straight afterwards.

"Nichrom came by earlier and gave back your father's clothes," my mother explained when I walked inside; she was fixing a tear in a set of robes. "I was surprised that you weren't with him."

'_**I really don't want to talk to him for a while,' **_I explained._** 'Actually, I'm going to… take a few days off.'**_

My mother immediately stopped sewing and turned her dark eyes to me fully. "Are you feeling all right?" she asked in concern, standing and coming to put a hand on my forehead.

'…_**Just overwhelmed,' **_I admitted. I shifted away from her and walked to my room._** 'I need to sleep.'**_

I closed the door and quickly changed into my nightclothes before closing the curtains for complete darkness. I crawled into bed under the sheets and put my head on the pillow; Nix appeared and settled down beside me, though I could tell he was still brooding over Pirika's assumption.

I thought more about Nichrom. Maybe he thought he was trying to help me when he introduced me to Nyorai, but he obviously didn't. My trust in him had certainly been shaken, but I also felt concerned - Chrom's death had pushed him over the edge, I was pretty sure.

'_**You know,' **_Nix murmured,_** 'the Ainu girl was right. You need rest.'**_

It took me a little while, but I finally pushed aside the thoughts and fell asleep.


	51. Grains of Rice : One Grain at a Time

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King, only my own OCs.**

_April 29, 2011: On this day in history, the Royal Wedding took place, the sun rose, and RoseblossomWarrior updated the fiftieth chapter of Muffled. Which one of these things do you find the most important? ;)_

_I don't quite like the first part of the chapter. Dunno why; I think I might've made it go too fast or something. But in any case, I did have fun with this chapter. I'd talk about it, but I don't really feel like spoiling it for ya :P By the way, I couldn't decide on the chapter title, so I used both on my options XD Even though I really don't think the second one really has any sort of philosophical meaning whatsoever._

_Hm, what else to talk about? Oh, here's a question: is it bad that I always get good story ideas when I'm nearly done with the story I'm on? And is it really bad for you guys that the new story idea is for Pokemon and not Shaman King? (Please don't hit me D:)_

_Enjoy!_

**Fifty: Grains of Rice - One Grain at a Time**

If I left the house for the next few days, it was only to go to the restaurant across the street. I passed most of the time by meditating - and time actually seems to go faster when you think about nothing. Sometimes I helped my mother with small things, like sweeping, but mostly my company, as always, was Nix.

I was so bored.

I checked my Oracle Bell often, and Day Two of my 'vacation' was highlighted by Team Funbari Onsen's victory over Team Ensiothe. I was getting over my shock of Nyorai's… revelations, but I had decided that I was going to do my absolute best (and I meant it this time) to stay away from Yoh and the others. Pirika's advice was to take a few days off and come back to whatever I was doing later, but I had suddenly found the self control to _not _go back.

The downside to staying in mostly one place for about four days was that it made a person restless. So, on the fourth day, instead of going out during the day when a lot of people would be out, I went wandering during the night.

However, I couldn't help myself; I walked towards Team the Ren's inn, which was closest. I was only going to walk by, though, when I heard screams.

A terrible chill went up my spine; I could identify the voice as Ren's, but he sounded almost inhuman, and in some sort of pain. Without a second thought, I rushed down the street and up the stairs that led to the team's door, merging with Nix so that I could speak and picking up the sounds of something shattering. I slipped on the steps and my knee connected painfully with the stone, but I forced myself to my feet and nearly dragged myself up to the door. I heard terrible sobbing and a final, anguished yell, but then there was silence that was broken only by a thud.

I pulled myself to my feet and rapped my knuckles on the door. I stood there for a moment, panting, and just barely heard voices inside before the door opened abruptly but not all the way to reveal HoroHoro; I could only see one wall behind him, but it was covered in gouge marks.

"I-I heard screams…" I said between heavy breaths.

HoroHoro's eyes tightened. "Nothing's wrong - and if it were, it'd be our problem, not yours."

I reeled back at the words and at the tone. "W-where's Ren?"

"I told you," HoroHoro retorted, but there was a slight change in his facial expression at the Tao's name. "It's none of your business." He shut the door in my face. "Go home!" he called through the wood.

It took approximately six seconds for me to explode. "Sorry for being _concerned_!" I snapped before oversouling Nix and flying away.

()()()()()()

I stayed in my room for another day. Despite my attempts to think about other things or to meditate, worry gnawed at my stomach: was Ren all right? Why had HoroHoro sent me away? Why was it so hard to stop thinking about them?

Around midday, I decided to check my Oracle Bell. There was a list of the teams who had drawn out of the Shaman Fight - it was a long one. Silva had expressed his concern about this when I went to the restaurant across the street, but I couldn't bring myself to care. Like Yoh said, "everything will work out," so these problems would be solved eventually.

My Oracle Bell beeped with an update: _Team Dai Rei Dou lost to Team the Ren due to being disqualified by having only one person on the team._

Well… at least the boys seemed to be okay. Curious, I tapped on Team Dai Rei Dou's name…

…and up popped Nyorai's face.

I immediately closed that window, a fear of her eyes overtaking me. It was silly, really - it had only been a picture, and now that she was out of the Shaman Fight she shouldn't pose any real threat anymore, especially since I would close my thoughts up tighter than a clam if I ever saw her again. Nevertheless, I wondered just what she had done to Nichrom, and if maybe she had somehow been behind the screams I'd heard from Ren…

I let out a hiss of annoyance and dropped my Oracle Bell before falling face-first onto my pillow. For the first time in a while, I thought about Neka, the boy who had brought my first body to the Great Spirits - though I didn't really know _why _I did. I remembered him talking about having dreams - I remembered _experiencing _the memory of one by accident - and I wondered if he had felt alienated, too. Well, not necessarily alienated by other people, but by himself; if he had ever pushed himself away from other people because he was afraid that his dreams of fire would turn out to be real.

I know he had had his family… but had he died alone?

I sighed into the pillow. There was no reason to think about Neka - he was long gone and dead, and I had never known him. Besides, I had enough to think about… well, enough to try to not think about.

()()()()()()

I stayed home for one more day, but the next morning, I couldn't sit around anymore. I supposed I had taken enough time off like Pirika had suggested - perhaps more. Six days _was _a bit much, and I can't really explain why I decided to lay around for that long, but I decided that I needed a change of pace. Nyorai's words had just been that, anyway: words. Words that I had to convince myself weren't scary in the least.

I started off by having breakfast at the restaurant across the street; today, Silva was running it. I sat at the counter to watch him cook, and soon there was a plate of bacon and eggs under my nose.

'_**Are you going to the match this morning?'**_ Silva asked quietly after motioning for me to "open up communications" with him. A man paid and left his seat at the counter, making me the only person sitting there, but there were still other customers.

I shrugged and sipped at my orange juice. _**'Who's fighting?'**_

Silva's jaw tautened as he dried a plate. _**'It's Hao's first match.'**_

Just the name made me want to punch the table as I remembered Hao's last conversation with me. I pushed the memory aside and started on my bacon. _**'I saw enough of him in the last Fight. I'd rather not watch someone burn to death today.'**_

Silva seemed to barely restrain himself from smashing his fist on the counter. "How can you talk about it so calmly?" he hissed, forgetting to think the sentence out to me.

'_**I may not look it, Silva, but I'm old. Of course I don't like it when someone is needlessly murdered, but I've seen enough of it so that I'm mostly just tired of it - especially when it's a stranger who dies. There's no way to interfere with the match, so there's no point in dwelling on it… even if I'm being a little hypocritical there.'**_

Silva sighed. _**'I don't know how Goldva can say that this is the will of the Great Spirits,' **_he communicated, going back to using thought.

'_**Not that I'm trying to sound pessimistic when I say this,' **_I replied, _**'but everything dies. The team that Hao's going up against - their time is today.' **_I paused. _**'We shamans know that there's a reward for our suffering: heaven, the afterlife, et cetera. The Great Spirits at least thought that through.'**_

Silva looked at me. _**'What about you?'**_

I shrugged. _**'I suppose I'll know if I repay my debt. Speaking of paying, our conversation should be enough for this crap,' **_I joked, pushing my empty plate toward the priest.

Silva blinked, startled by the abrupt change in topic, but let out a helpless chuckle and took my dishes and put them in the sink. I got up and called a goodbye to him mentally, and just as I opened the door I looked back. The priest was looking at me out of the corner of his dark eyes; they were shiny with regret and sadness.

My mixed emotions made me turn away, and I walked out into the street and straight into Mikihisa.

"Tori-san," he greeted, as if he hadn't bumped into me on purpose - I _had _been paying attention to my senses this time.

I shot him a look.

"Listen," he went on, "I'm going to get everyone together after lunch for a practice battle between their two teams. Would you like to come?"

No. I needed to stay home and away from everyone. I'd done it for six days (okay, so technically it was two, but it had really sounded like something was wrong…! I still wasn't happy that HoroHoro shut the door in my face). I shouldn't break my streak. I shook my head.

Oh, I really wished I could see what was going on under that mask. "Really?" he asked, tipping his head. "What if I told you that I needed you to show them all up in something?"

I was a little surprised that Mikihisa said "show them all up," but I was intrigued. Still-

"Please?" Mikihisa added. "Once you finish, you can leave, and I won't bother you again. Also, I'll give you this back," he finished, holding up my Oracle Bell.

My eyes widened - I'd left that in my back in my room, as I'd forgotten my bag. _**'How did you get that?' **_I asked; Mikihisa, like Anna, knew that I was a telepath, but I didn't like to use it around either of them.

"My spirits are very crafty" was all Mikihisa divulged into the matter; he pocketed my Oracle Bell. "I understand that you don't really need it, as you are _disqualified_, but I can show it to my son."

Blackmail! _Blackmail! _I knew Mikihisa wouldn't show it to Yoh - or, at least, I had a pretty good feeling that he wouldn't…but I couldn't take the chance. I grit my teeth. _**'Fine. But I get that back as soon as no one's looking.'**_

"Of course."

()()()()()()

I stood stiffly in the middle of the desert where Mikihisa told me he would take the others - granted, he had said that he would only do that if Silva said it was okay to have a practice bout, so I could've been standing out there for absolutely nothing. It was a bit of a long wait, but I had come out only after Hao's match had ended (in the way that I had predicted). Finally, my senses picked up incoming auras, and a few minutes later I heard a few voices calling my name.

I turned to see Yoh jogging up to me; only HoroHoro kept his pace. "Tori!" Yoh greeted. "I haven't seen you in forever! Why're you here?"

In his eyes was a question, and I knew he was remembering the time that I had told him that I shouldn't hang out with him and the others, but he obviously wasn't going to bring it up here.

"Mikihisa invited me," I replied quietly; I didn't really want to sign today.

HoroHoro caught up in time to hear my reply. "He wants you to train with us?" he asked incredulously, obviously without thinking.

"Why else would I be here?" I replied snippily; I still wasn't happy about HoroHoro sending me away.

Both boys were taken aback, and HoroHoro scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, being surprisingly quick about the situation. "Team Dai Rei Dou sort of… launched a preemptive attack. Ren said that if something happened he didn't want us to tell Yoh, and I didn't want you to go to him. Sorry."

Yoh looked a little confused, but a sudden look of understanding came across his features: he probably figured that I must've visited Team the Ren for some reason or another.

I shot HoroHoro a deadpanned look and turned back to Yoh. "I heard you defeated Team Ensiothe. Congratulations. Did I miss anything else?"

I noticed HoroHoro blinking in surprise, and Yoh seemed to be a little unsettled, but he kept up the conversation. "Well, yesterday we managed to stop these guys who were sealing everyone's spirits - that was why so many people pulled out. Actually, Manta was the real hero." He grinned and chuckled as Manta himself and the others came up.

I scrunched my brow. "Manta did what?"

"Oh, that." Manta chuckled and blushed sheepishly. "It was nothing…"

"It sure looked like nothing," Anna deadpanned, and Manta looked like he was going to fall over.

Yoh chuckled. "The spirit sealers had Mosuke possess Manta-"

"Mosuke?" I interrupted, belatedly noticing the shamanic energy that faintly came off Manta, and the spiritual energy that was concealed within his backpack. "_Mosuke _Mosuke?"

"I think he said Mosuke," Ren put in, sounding bored. I risked a look at him, and only then were the doubts about if he was okay or not were put to rest. After all, if he was acting like an egotistical bastard, he was back to normal.

Yoh chuckled again. "Manta was possessed, but he managed to oversoul Mosuke and attack the spirit sealers. It was impressive."

"Are we going to get on with this practice battle or not?" Ren prompted.

()()()()()()

Soon, Team Funbari Onsen was standing across from Team the Ren. I stood off to the side with Tamao, Anna, Manta, Jun, and Pailong, and waited for something to happen. I was feeling less and less at ease to just stand around; I wanted to leave again before I got too attached…again.

Mikihisa instructed the two teams to think of how they would fight against an oversoul as massive as Spirit of Fire. Ryu came up with an idea right away and started whispering to his teammates, while it took Ren a little longer to; but when he did, the Tao looked rather insane as he loudly declared that HoroHoro and Chocolove were going to do exactly what he told them.

I couldn't wait to see this.

"Now then," Mikihisa called, "Shaman Fight practice match. Team the Ren versus Team Funbari Onsen. Begin!"

Simultaneously, both teams oversouled: Ryu called upon the Yamata no Orochi, and Faust had his giant form of Eliza (Mephisto E) sit atop it like a chariot, Yoh's Spirit of Sword in hand. Without realizing that they were doing to the same thing, Chocolove had Mic appear in its giant form, and HoroHoro had Kororo become giant to ride atop the jaguar, and Ren created a giant Kwan Dao to go in her hand.

"It's called the Spirit of Funbari Onsen!" Ryu belted out.

"I call it Spirit of the Ren!" Ren screeched insanely (and narcissistically).

"T-they're huge!" Manta stammered after a moment.

I found myself unable to hold back laughter. "They did the exact same thing," I noted to Manta. What I didn't add was how unstable it all looked. Neither combination would ever come _close _to even putting a dent in Spirit of Fire.

Both triple-oversouls approached each other, and from their seated positions Kororo and Eliza exchanged blows with the Kwan Dao and Spirit of Sword. Tamao squealed in shock at the loud noise. "They look powerful!"

"On the outside, yes," Anna agreed. "But those things aren't a combination of three."

"They aren't?" Manta repeated.

"This is troublesome," Mikihisa sighed, scratching his head. He made a gesture with his hand and muttered a spell, and within a second he was standing between the two combinations.

"Do you want to get stomped on or something?" Ren demanded.

"You don't have to worry about that," Mikihisa assured, and his two spirits each took a group of oversouls and ran along all over their spiritual skins. Effectively taken by surprise, Kororo and Eliza both wiggled and tried to get their respective invasive spirits off of them, but they simultaneously lost balance, and chaos came in the way of a fall on both sides.

I burst out into laughter a second time.

"_Stop that_!" Ren snapped, standing up from the wreckage and pointing a finger at me.

"_Dui bu qî!" _I called back in Mandarin: it basically means 'sorry.' I said it specifically to put Ren in an even more foul mood.

Ren seemed a bit surprised at the Mandarin, and it occurred to me that maybe I shouldn't have done that. However, all he did was scowl and turn to grumble to his teammates.

"_You can speak Mandarin?" _Jun asked beside me in surprise; she spoke in Mandarin.

"_A little bit," _I lied. Pretending to falter in my 'little' knowledge of the language, I continued in Japanese, "My mother was Japanese, but she taught me some Mandarin as well. Plus Nix knows some."

"You remind me of someone I met a long time ago," Pailong put in, and my mind immediately raced back to Tai. "You look a lot like her… Maylin, I think her name was - she was the little sister of an actor I worked with. I only met her once or twice, though; I think she was… handicapped. That was years ago, though," he added. He paused. "I wonder what happened to them."

"We can always look them up," Jun replied cheerily.

Feeling more than a twinge of guilt, I turned my attention back to the boys; they were sitting around (Ren grumpily as always), while Mikihisa stood.

"Mastery of furyoku doesn't depend on power or size," the monk was saying. "You should know this after memorizing the Chou Senji Ryakketsu, right?" He paused. "Therefore, do you want to train on how to _use _furyoku?" He turned his head towards me. "Tori-kun, you can participate in this exercise."

_Finally_, I thought as I walked over as Mikihisa fished a small bag out of his pocket. _I can leave after this._

Mikihisa handed out brushes and held out a bottle of ink for us to dip them in, and then he handed us each one grain of…rice. (…_Rice_. Seriously.) He instructed us to kneel and to "First, write something on the rice with the brush."

"What?" HoroHoro asked blankly.

"What do you want us to write on this tiny grain of rice?" Chocolove added incredulously.

"Let's see…" Mikihisa pondered. "The name of something important to you should do."

Nix. Definitely Nix. Carefully, I took the brush and brought it close to the grain; I didn't breathe. _N_… That was tougher to write than I thought it would be. _I_… A little easier. And the _X_… looked a little like a "+," but it was easy enough to tell what it said.

'_**Why thank you,' **_Nix said.

'_**You're welcome,' **_I mentally chuckled.

I took a breath, realizing that I had made more of a deal about it than was really necessary, but when I looked I up I noticed both HoroHoro and Chocolove having little mini-tantrums because they couldn't write on their grain. That made me smirk.

'_**By the way,' **_I went on, _**'I have a feeling that you should've censored me earlier, when I spoke Mandarin.'**_

'_**I've told you, I can't when your emotions are too strong,' **_Nix pointed out._** 'Try thinking more before you blurt out something. Normal humans do it, you should be able to.'**_

I almost laughed.

Everyone finished writing about five minutes later. Oddly, most spoke aloud when they wrote, so I knew that HoroHoro wrote "fields of coltsfoot"; Ryu wrote "Lyserg" (ugh, who would've thought that the man who once beat up Manta would be writing the name of an emotional English boy on a bit of rice?); Faust wrote Eliza's name; Chocolove wrote something about laughter; and by the way Anna was looking at Yoh and Bason was looking at Ren, I had a pretty good guess at those two. Mikihisa collected the seven grains of rice and held them in his hand.

"What kind of training is this?" HoroHoro asked.

"Is it supposed to improve our concentration or something?" Ryu added.

"No," Mikihisa replied. "Everything up to now was only preparation. The training starts now," he went on, turning around and walking away, motioning for us to follow him. We followed him in a line; I was at the far edge of the group by Chocolove.

When he came to the edge of a cliff, he threw the rice into the wind.

There was silence for a second, but I wasn't too surprised when he turned around and instructed, "Now go and find the grain of rice you wrote on."

"_We can't do that_!" the boys snapped in surprise.

So this was what Mikihisa wanted me to do; show them all up in finding a grain of rice, probably to prove that there were other ways to use furyoku besides fighting. Easy enough.

"Why do you feel that way?" Mikihisa asked the boys, turning around fully.

"It's obvious!" HoroHoro argued. He stepped forward and extended his arm. "There's no way you can find a tiny grain of rice in a huge place like this!"

"That sounds like an excuse," I piped up.

As one, the boys looked at me in shock, their jaws dropping. I had to admit, this was fun.

Mikihisa nodded. "Tori-kun is right. Even a normal human could find it if he patiently searched for it."

"Well I think it's impossible," HoroHoro muttered.

Well, I'd show him. Payback for shutting me out, even if he did say he was sorry.

"And you're all shamans," Mikihisa went on.

"You mean we should use our furyoku and do something about it," Ren realized.

"How should we use our furyoku?" Yoh wondered aloud.

"But Master," Ryu argued, "that's just impossible!"

"The grains of rice are just too small!" Chocolove added.

"Does this have something to do with fighting against Hao?" Faust asked.

"Yeah, that's right!" HoroHoro said.

I heard footsteps, and I turned to see Anna standing behind them. I took a few steps away.

"If you're men," she said, "stop whining and _get going_!"

She brought her foot up and simultaneously kicked them all (aside from Mikihisa and myself) off of the cliff. She looked at me.

"Go show those slackers that they need to get their asses in gear."

I resisted the urge to salute to her and jumped off the cliff.

()()()()()()

I watched for a moment the methods of the others. Chocolove was oversouled with Mic and was sniffing intently at the ground while Ryu marched along happily like he had just cheated the system, the trailing ends of Tokagero's oversouled hair searching the ground with eyes. Faust powered a stethoscope with oversoul and seemed to listen to the ground, HoroHoro flying past at a medium speed as he peered at the sand over the edge of his snowboard. Ren meditated, but the way he clutched at his head proved that he was having difficulty. Yoh also meditated, but even as I watched a snot bubble appeared in his nostril as he slept.

I smiled a genuine, helpless smile. Great Spirits forbid that they ever change.

Rice and other small objects only give out the smallest traces of aura, usually from the leftover bits of whatever touched it last. If the furyoku I got from Hao hadn't mostly faded, I probably would've been able to pinpoint the exact locations of all the grains given enough concentration, but all I could sense at first was the very vague direction of where my grain had gone. Letting out a slow breath, I closed my eyes and focused my furyoku, imagining that I wasn't just looking at my grain of rice, but at the name on it: at Nix, at his aura.

It took a few seconds, but in the blackness behind my eyelids, I saw a small, red dot, like an ember in the distance. Without opening them, I walked towards the glow. A couple of times, I sensed the others and had to walk around them, but it was easy, though I heard a yelp of pain as HoroHoro crashed into the ground trying to avoid me.

"Jeez!" he snapped. "Tori, what're you _doing_?"

Oh, if I had reached the grain of rice just then, it would've been _perfect_, but I guessed that I was about ten feet away. Nine… eight… seven…

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ren asked irritably. "She's just guessing."

Scratch what I just said. _Perfect _was when I reached down and plucked my grain of rice out of the sand. I held it up to my face, opening my eyes, and saw "_NIX."_

"Found it!" I called, turning around and holding the grain up.

"_WHAT_?"

Everyone's jaw was dropped as they looked at me. As one, they rushed at me - talk about an invasion of personal space.

"How'd you do it?" HoroHoro pestered.

"Show me!" Chocolove and Ryu chorused.

"Oooh, Tori, that's so cool!" Yoh praised.

"That can't be real."

Ren's cold scoff immediately broke up the "giddiness" of the situation, and we all looked at him. His arms were crossed, and his golden gaze was pinned on me.

"She probably saw this exercise coming and somehow managed to snag an extra," he concluded. "Why else would she have acted so smug earlier?"

Indignation rose within me. "Admit it, Ren," I taunted, "you're just jealous."

Ren didn't miss a beat, although I was sure I'd hit at least part of the mark when I saw the slightest tinge on his cheeks, but it was gone within seconds. "Heh. Like anyone would be jealous of _you_. You didn't even pass the Great Spirits' test."

"At least I'm not an egotistical piece of shit!" I thoughtlessly spat, my blood suddenly boiling in mostly anger but also in a burst of panic from the last comment. Ren didn't know how wrong he was. Unless… he had an idea that that was also a lie.

"Oi," Yoh interjected nervously, holding his hands up as if to make peace. "There's no need-"

"Wait," Ren put in. "Let's put the rice aside for now. There's a more important question here: where has she been for the last six days?"

I blinked, but thankfully Ryu gave me a little time to think by asking, "What does that have anything to do with this?"

"Yeah," HoroHoro agreed with Ryu. "What the hell are you saying?"

"I'm _saying_," Ren went on, "Tori here has been mysteriously absent with no explanation. She, like Yoh, has also been an… object of interest to Hao, but unlike Yoh, I highly doubt she's his twin as well. Besides, I heard Hao say outright that she was 'his.'"

"Dude, what the hell?" HoroHoro asked incredulously. "Are you saying she's on Hao's side?"

"I'm only saying that we have no way of knowing unless she explains herself," Ren explained calmly. "I'm giving her the chance to speak right n-"

"If I was on Hao's side," I growled, glaring at the ground; I was completely stiff, my hands in fists, and my bangs hid my eyes. "If I was on his side, do you think I would've given a damn when I heard…"

I trailed off and instead pushed past Faust, muttering an apology to the doctor as I did so, and stalked out into the desert. I heard HoroHoro begin to call out my name, but someone quieted him - I think it was Yoh. At this point, I didn't really care; I oversouled Nix and took off into the air.

()()()()()()

I went straight home, walking past my mother and into my room without a single word. I stood there in silence for a moment, feeling so frustrated that I wanted to scream. I didn't.

Instead, I noticed, for the first time, the small device on my bed. I picked it up, staring at the screen. Over the course of the training exercise, I had forgotten that I had originally gone to get my Oracle Bell back. I had an almost overwhelming urge to throw it, but I didn't.

If Ren thought that I was on Hao's side, then I knew what I was going to be doing tomorrow.

()()()()()()

I had no patience, and I left my house immediately, making up some random, two-second excuse to my mother that I was going to the lake. I flew out for almost ten minutes, taking a tunnel out into the open air. It didn't take me another two minutes to get to the bonfire.

Hao didn't turn around when I stalked up to him in front of most of his followers. I focused solely on his mind, however, when I stopped two feet behind him.

'_**You have yourself a deal, Hao. Just for one day.'**_


	52. Fire and Ice

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King, only my own OCs. (*Insert witty comment*)**

_Ahem... You, Dear Reader, may not like what I have to say... Uh... I may or may not update next Friday. *evades thrown bottles and winces at the "Boos!"* No! Understand me! It's school! They're giving me so much homework that I don't have time to write... even though I've filled the free time with drawing a new OC idea... AH WAIT, NO, I DID NOT SAY ANYTHING INCRIMINATING AGAINST MYSELF. Me? Do something other than everything I can possibly do to make Dear Reader happy? No way. Anyways, I have most of the rest of the story plotted out, it just comes down to writing it. (And finding the time to do so. Seriously, I would so much rather be doing anything besides writing essays. Unless the essay was about Ren...)_

_Hm. Let's talk about something else (for I kinda want to procrastinate from getting more bottles thrown at my face when you guys read the last sentence of the chap and realize I may or may not update next week). Mother's Day? Nah - though have a happy one. How people are idiots? Ugh, don't remind me, people peed me off enough already today. Um... You know what, I have nothing to talk about, 'cept for the fact that I MAYBE have an idea for a new SK story... maybe. If I do, I want to finish reading the manga first._

_Off I go to do... homework? Writing? Eat dinner? Dunno. Enjoy! (And my apologies again!)_

_...*shudders in giddiness for the chapter*_

**Fifty-One: Fire and Ice**

I didn't sleep a wink that night; I only sat beside the fire opposite Hao, staring at the small pyre. It wasn't that I didn't trust Nix to keep a good lookout - for I trusted the bird unquestioningly. No, I didn't trust Hao's followers, especially Kanna, Macchi, and Mari, whose spiteful glares were palpable.

When I had first come, Hao had smiled and motioned for me to sit, telling his followers that "We have a guest. Luchist, would you get Tori-chan some dinner?"

Luchist, a man in rather priest-like garb, had nodded and come forward to the fire to where soup was simmering in a pot. He ladled some of the food into a bowl and procured a spoon from a small pile of silverware and presented it to me. I had taken it with a nod and had begun to eat after blowing slightly on a spoonful; not only had I been hungry, but I knew Hao wouldn't poison me, and his followers wouldn't do anything against him.

That had been a few hours ago. The loudest sounds since then had been the rather large crackling of the fire, and the whispers among Hao's followers in the background. Now it was nearly midnight - I checked the time on my Oracle Bell, which I had taken along in my bag.

Finally, Hao abruptly said, "Luchist, please get Tori-chan a blanket. It's time to sleep."

There was a tense silence as Hao's followers went to their respective tents. Hao didn't move, but the small black girl went and retrieved large blanket for her and Hao, who thanked her - Opacho, he called her - and the two sat together, Hao leaning on a rock and Opacho using him as a pillow. Luchist came then and handed me a blanket as well as a pillow, although it was rather thin and scratchy. I nodded another thanks to him and settled down, ignoring the somewhat pebbly ground below me. I'd slept on worse, but enough though I did close my eyes, I didn't fall asleep.

'_**Are you sure about this?' **_Nix asked.

'_**Hao won't kill or hurt me while I have use. Besides, I…'**_

I trailed off, realizing that I had had no true reason to come. At first, I had wanted to come to somehow prove to Ren that I wasn't on Hao's side, but I couldn't let anyone see that I was with the pyro. Yoh and the others would think that I had betrayed them (and worse, that Ren had been right about me), and the Patch would undoubtedly think that Hao was… stealing me or something.

A deal was a deal in Hao's eyes, though, and there was no doubt that there would be terrible consequences if I left now… namely me being shown as a fraud.

'_**I screwed up,' **_I mumbled._** 'But I can't back out.'**_

''_**We,'' **_Nix corrected. _**'You and I are 'we.''**_

()()()()()()

Morning came slowly. I had managed to fall into a sort of half-doze, but the sunshine and sounds of people getting up and about woke me. I kept my eyes closed for a minute, though, mentally preparing myself for the day. It was going to be a long one.

I sat up silently. The fire had gone out sometime during my half-doze, and since nights in the desert were cold, it was rather chilly as the sun had yet to warm the air.

"Ohayo, Tori-chan," Hao greeted, and I looked to see him standing a few feet away. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, coming over and holding out a hand. Only slightly less than reluctant, I accepted it and he helped me to stand while Opacho hopped over and gathered up my pillow and blanket.

"_How about this. You let us have one day, from sunup to sundown, where it's just the two of us - no one else, no secrets. I ask a question of you, you ask a question of me, and we both have to answer. If you agree to that, I'll leave you alone till I'm Shaman King."_

Knowing that our deal had started, I shook my head, relaying the truth.

I could only hope that Hao would keep his promise.

The Asakura smiled. "I didn't think you would. I apologize for my followers' negative emotions, but you're an enigma to them. No one trusts what they don't understand."

The words struck me hard: it was the perfect example to how Ren had acted. The Tao hadn't understood why I was missing - or anything about me, really. That was why he had questioned me. That's why he had _always _questioned me.

"Anyway," Hao went on, "Turbine should be coming back with breakfast soon. After that, you and I will go."

Opacho, who had put away my bed-things, chose that moment to come back. "Opacho has finished cleaning up, Hao-sama."

Hao smiled. "Thank you, Opacho," he said, patting the girl.

Opacho turned giant eyes on me. "Good morning, Tori-san," she chirruped.

I blinked but smiled after a moment and signed 'good morning' back to her. She stiffened in surprise, obviously unused to the hand gestures, and clung to Hao's leg, who chuckled.

"It's all right, Opacho, that's how Tori-chan communicates," Hao explained. "It's not any kind of attack."

"…Oh. Okay, Hao-sama," Opacho replied, getting over her fear quickly but moving away from him only slightly.

It was at that time that Turbine appeared with several bags of takeout food. Immediately, Hao's followers swarmed him, and within seconds he only had one bag remaining. He looked a little ruffled, but he just shook it off and approached Hao.

"Breakfast, Hao-sama," Turbine offered, pulling out a box of food from the bag and holding it out.

"Thank you, Turbine," Hao replied, accepting the box. "You remembered food for Tori-chan, ne?"

"Of course." Turbine pulled out another box and offered it to me. I accepted it with a courteous nod.

Hao prompted me to sit on a nearby rock while he sat on Spirit of Fire's hand, which had appeared. At this, Nix appeared in his spirit ball form beside me; I broke apart my complementary chopsticks and started on my noodles. I cast a glance at Nix, and it was then that I noticed that he was unconsciously trembling, but only slightly. I couldn't feel any nervousness coming from him, which must've meant that he was concealing it from me, something I couldn't remember him ever doing.

'_**I'm not going to die today,' **_I pointed out, a little unnerved that Nix was acting this way but also slightly angry at him for hiding it.

The phoenix gave a small start. _**'I… apologize.' **_He paused and cast a glance in Hao's direction. _**'You can't blame me for being nervous.'**_

I swallowed another mouthful of noodles. _**'I know.'**_

()()()()()()

Without an explanation to his followers - except an assurance to Opacho that they would hang out later - Hao beckoned to me to come up onto the hand of Spirit of Fire. More than scared, but somehow reassured at the literal warmth that the spirit radiated (which was ironic since the spirit had killed so many at its master's command), I obeyed. Nix had appeared in his full form on my shoulder, and his talons dug slightly into my skin.

Hao smiled. "It's all right, Tori-chan," he assured, grabbing my hand to steady me as Spirit of Fire suddenly rose into the sky. "We're just going out a little farther into the desert."

I wasn't really reassured, but I nodded.

()()()()()()

Spirit of Fire took us, as Hao had said, out further into the desert. The journey was spent in silence; I stared at the passing sand. Finally, Spirit of Fire stopped and lowered the two of us to the ground. Hao easily hopped off of the spirit and turned back towards me, as if he were going to help me, but I jumped down before he could make any sort of offer, and we began to walk.

Hao smirked. "Well, Tori-chan, aren't you self-sufficient?"

'_**Of course,' **_I replied, mental voice taut. _**'What else would I be?'**_

"Hmph," Hao lightly snorted. He relaxed and looked at me fully. "So, Tori-chan, what made you agree?"

I looked away toward the horizon, my jaw taut - deals were deals, and Hao didn't have to remind me of them. _**'I got pissed off, and I wasn't thinking when I came here.'**_

"Oh, really? At whom?"

My nails dug into my palm. _**'Ren.' **_To save Hao the trouble of asking why, I continued, _**'He asked outright why I hadn't been with them for six days - if I was on your side.'**_

There was silence for a moment, and I risked a glance at the Asakura to see that he was looking at me. "Well?" he asked. "What did you say?"

I looked ahead. _**'I didn't blatantly say no, but there was no way in hell I was going to say yes. Anyways,' **_I went on suddenly, _**'aren't I supposed to be able to ask **_**you **_**questions?'**_

"You just did," Hao pointed out. "But go ahead, Tori-chan."

I thought for a moment. _**'Why did you have Boris pull that vampire stunt on me? You made sure Ashiru didn't attack me or Yoh.'**_

Hao shrugged when I looked at him. "I knew Yoh and his 'friends' wouldn't kill you, and besides, I thought it would quell their doubts about your loyalties. It was a favor."

So basically Hao had just been screwing with me and the others. The whole doubt thing, though, had failed and only made Ren more suspicious of me.

'_**Well that hardly worked,' **_I noted, crossing my arms. _**'It would've been better if you had just left me alone.'**_

"But Tori-chan, I can't risk you dying now," Hao pointed out, suddenly reaching out to grasp my bare elbow. "You're too important."

Hao's touch felt like fire - an unbearable fire. I jerked away. _**'Only because you want to use me later! And you're trying to use me now, too, so that I might actually be willing to aid you!'**_

Hao suddenly came forward, and before I could react, he had his hand on my cheek, his thumb over my lips. "You know better than anyone," he said quietly, "that the world is more important than any one person. And we both know willingness could very well have nothing to do with it."

'_**Don't touch me!' **_I suddenly snapped, regaining myself. Almost of its own accord, my hand rose to connect swiftly and painfully with his cheek.

As semi-déjà vu overtook me, I took a step backward, as did Hao. He cupped his cheek, but a moment later he was chuckling. Confused, I was jerked out of a memory involving once-hateful gold eyes and looked at the Asakura.

His laughter hadn't lasted more than a few seconds, and he turned his ebony eyes on me. "You and Anna are rather alike. Both of you are stubborn, I can't read your minds, and you both can slap like your hands are made out of rock."

'_**So you made a pass at Anna then,' **_I noted, crossing my arms again and watching Hao closely.

Hao chuckled again and pulled his hand away from his now-red cheek. "Maybe," he replied. "Tell me, whom have you had to hit before? Was it a pervert?"

'_**You mean other than you?' **_I mentally spat. Very suddenly, my aggression left me, but I held my hands stiffly to my sides. _**'It wasn't a pervert.'**_

"Oh? Who was it, th-"

'_**Even though I wasn't really close to Chrom, I wanted Ren to **_**die**_**,' **_I admitted harshly, glaring at the ground.

Hao didn't speak for a moment. A slight desert wind picked up and gently stirred my hair, and I could hear the slight flapping of Hao's poncho.

"What changed?" he asked.

The question confused me, and I looked up at him.

Hao crossed his arms; his expression was unreadable. "You hated Ren's very existence, but you came to me last night because you wanted to prove to him that you're not one of my allies, even though it's impossible for you to do that. What changed?"

I blinked and turned to look at the horizon, remembering going along with Yoh, HoroHoro, Ryu and Manta to help Ren. It was then that I realized that even though the whole ordeal had been more than trying, it was a fond memory - a memory of a time that was, in retrospect, so much easier than the present.

'_**I found out that Ren and I are both marked people,' **_I replied, not realizing how quiet my mental voice had become. _**'We both had paths laid out for us without our consent. We both had things forced upon us; he had hate and something far too much to live up to, while I had nothing but a debt. But he found his own way,' **_I went on, crossing my arms in front of my middle and grasping my elbows. _**'…I guess I'm jealous.'**_

I paused. _**'He saw my mark once, just by accident - my shirt got torn, don't think anything funny,' **_I snapped. _**'He knows that I'm… different. He just doesn't know how. I have to prove to him that I'm not…'**_

"Or you could just stay away from them altogether," Hao suggested. "It would be safer for you."

I was about to retort and say it would be hard to do that when I was technically supposed to be watching the Fights (how the hell had I become such a hypocrite?), but both of our Oracle Bells suddenly beeped. I blinked at my bag, where my device currently was, though Hao calmly pulled the sleeve of his glove back to view his.

"'Team Funbari Onsen versus Team Ocean Three,'" Hao relayed, and Spirit of Fire appeared behind him. "It's starting soon. We should go; we'll continue our conversation afterwards."

'_**Wait a second,' **_I mentally said just as Hao was about to turn around toward his spirit. _**'I'm not going anywhere public with you.'**_

Hao chuckled. "It's only to the arena, and we'll get the best seats - at the top, where we won't be seen. Besides, I need to watch my brother - and I made a promise to Opacho that we would watch him together. A deal's a deal."

The unspoken threat was clear: _We're supposed to spend the day together. Back out now, and your secret isn't a secret anymore._

Back to being annoyed, exasperated, and rather angry, I stomped stiffly past him and onto the hand of Spirit of Fire.

()()()()()()

I sat closest to Spirit of Fire on the rim of the arena, far from the edge; this way, I could only possibly be seen by the people on the top row on the opposite side, and hopefully they'd be more interested in the giant mass of fire behind me than, well… me. However, I was still curious about the match itself, so I made sure to have a vantage point where I could see enough. Hao and Opacho sat directly on the rim, and I did my best to pretend that they weren't there.

Above the nearly deafening cheers, Silva's voice boomed over the loudspeakers. _"We will now start the match of Team Funbari Onsen versus Team Ocean Three! Ready… Fight!"_

Team Ocean Three oversouled: their giant spirits were of a turtle, a fish, and an eagle (guess which one of those isn't like the other), while Yoh's team simply… oversouled. No giant spirits, only plain oversouls around their weapons.

"Well, look at that," Hao noted. "Someone must've told them to fight this one out without giant oversoul. Perhaps it was our father."

"If Yoh-san defeats them like that, then Hao-sama will be happy, right?" Opacho asked curiously.

Hao chuckled. "It would show that Yoh is getting stronger, yes."

I focused back on the battle. I couldn't really see them clearly from up here, but it looked like Ryu had just been knocked through the air. A moment later, Faust and Eliza ran at the giant turtle oversoul, and attacked its…foot. It easily kicked them through the air, and I realized what had happened to Ryu. Another moment later, Yoh met the same fate. I wanted to put my head in my hands; couldn't they think up of something more effective?

Apparently not, because next they _all _charged at the turtle's foot. Need I say what the counterattack was?

Another failed charge later, Ocean Three seemingly got tired of the whole ordeal and instead used their giant oversouls to charge _Yoh_ and the others, who ended up running around the arena to avoid being crushed. Ryu stopped, and I think he tried to use his Big Thumb oversoul (didn't that only work on Billy?), but that only ended up with him becoming unable to fight altogether after being smushed into the ground.

I hadn't wanted Yoh's team to lose, but I couldn't help but feel some disappointment when Yoh and Faust used giant oversoul to win.

Hao stood up without a word, utter displeasure on his face, and turned toward Spirit of Fire, stepping onto its hand. Opacho immediately followed, and I the same after casting one last glance at Yoh's tiny form on the ground.

()()()()()()

Much to my _pleasure _(please, _please _note my sarcasm), Hao and I were soon back to our deal. Once again, we were walking through the desert. Oddly, as we were in the middle of nowhere, there were tire tracks on the ground, and I walked along the line almost as if it were a balance beam. For a long time, no sounds were made, mental or otherwise, aside from the slight scuff of shoes on dirt.

'…_**You're disappointed,' **_I noted finally, having no idea why I was beginning a conversation.

"Yoh is my other half. He needs to be stronger." Hao's voice was mostly even but also slightly annoyed, but just in those two sentences, even a stranger would know that he didn't regard his twin as a person - that he didn't really regard _anyone _as anything other than something to distrust.

I stopped suddenly. Hao noticed immediately, but he didn't stop until about two seconds later. He turned his head back slightly. "What is it?"

'_**Not every human is a piece of shit like you think,' **_I mentally spat. _**'Shamans are humans, too. Everyone feels something, even me now. And even those without a sixth sense - I know none of them are perfect, but no one's pure evil just to be evil. Like you - you're only like this because of what happened to you because of a few stupid people.'**_

Hao turned around fully. "Tori-chan, tell me - what human has ever seen you as just a person, not something emotionless or something to be used?"

'_**What right do **_**you **_**have to say that?' **_I spat mentally. _**'You use every **_**thing **_**you come across, and the Great Spirits know that I'm not any different.' **_I put a hand up to my forehead. _**'But what was I expecting?' **_

Hao didn't appear to change moods at all. "You do have a point," he admitted, almost in amusement. Like this conversation didn't matter. "But this country does have freedom of speech - and right now, you're far from emotionless. But answer my question, Tori-chan. And the answer should count."

I knew what Hao meant by that last statement. He didn't want me to name Nix or Silva or someone I knew from this fucked-up life. He meant someone who cared about me even _though _I was heartless.

Hao thought he had backed me into a corner. Damn, he was wrong.

'_**Tai.' **_My voice contained happiness, smugness, and also slight confusion, all in one tone. Happy and smug because I had just one-upped Hao, and confused about the fact that I had an answer at all. _**'My previous life's brother.'**_

Hao lifted an eyebrow, but before he could speak, I plowed on.

'_**I was mute and 'mentally disabled,' but he cared regardless. He was kind and he always helped me and-'**_

"That's _pity_," Hao interrupted.

When information hits you like a bullet, a person freezes. That's what I did.

"Humans find pity in another's shortcomings," Hao continued. "This 'Tai' obviously found your… mental capabilities sad, and only reached out to you to feel better about himself. It's a sick human trait."

The information seeped in against my will. I wasn't ignorant - I knew all about pity, I hated it when it was directed at me, but I'd never put 'pity' and 'Tai' together…

Of course not! They didn't belong together!

'_**Tai **_**died **_**trying to save me!' **_I spat almost incoherently. _**'People don't do that out of pity!'**_

Hao suddenly held out a hand. "Your job is noble. I don't pity you. But I'll help you - if you aid me, I'll make it so your debt is paid."

A breeze picked up, stirring his poncho and playing with my hair. The offer was…unthinkable. But it did strike a nerve. Though earlier, he had said my own willingness could be worthless…

'_**I don't know what you're playing at,' **_I said finally. _**'But I have never been more insulted. The debt is **_**mine**_**, and mine to pay.' **_I spun around oversouling Nix. _**'I don't care about any stupid deals. I'm leaving.'**_

If Hao said another word, I didn't hear it.

()()()()()()

Hao was a fucking liar. All he wanted was for me to be willing to aid him in case I really _was _supposed to be willing. After he used me, there was no doubt in my mind that I would be useless to him - something to be thrown aside.

My thoughts were going in circles along with my body as I paced. I hadn't slept, and it was about midday - less than twenty hours after my 'day' with Hao. I hadn't gone home, and had instead wandered to the woods. My Oracle Bell had beeped not too long ago, declaring that the Lily Five had forfeited to the Star Group - Hao's team. Just seeing that sent me into another frenzy of angered thought.

When you tell yourself not to think about something, your mind does the exact opposite. Tai couldn't have had pitied me. And Hao was only messing with me. And what had he been playing at about Ren?

Ugh, why couldn't I stop thinking? I was so tired. Why was I out here? Sure, I didn't want to face any questions from my mother, but I needed sleep badly.

I sighed. _**'Nix, why the hell did I come out here in the first place?' **_I asked as I began walking through the woods towards my home, vainly trying to clear my mind.

'_**I can't blame you for doing so,' **_Nix replied, hopping off of a branch to glide through the air alongside me.

My steps slowed, and I stopped, putting my hand on the bark of a nearby tree. _**'Nix… Why are we here? How are we here? Who are we?'**_

Nix paused, turning his head around.

'_**I never used to question it,' **_I murmured. _**'I used to never, ever think twice. Why now? Why is everything happening now, everything at the same time?' **_I paused. _**'My debt is that I was given life. My debt is to the Great Spirits. Everyone has that debt, and they pay with death, and so do I - over and over and over. I'm fine with the death, with that pain. But I **_**hate **_**how… how I feel so guilty… How I'm a hypocrite."**_

'_**Catori-' **_Nix began, but I continued furiously.

'_**For months I've been saying how hard it would be to give up my friends, and what do I do the moment I see Goldva? Lie so I can 'be with them longer.' I **_**sicken **_**myself,'**_ I spat, kicking the tree; it did nothing but pain my toe and make me even more pissed. _**'All I fucking do these days is sit around and feel sorry for myself. I hate this. I don't need this. Why the hell did I even stay with them? Am I **_**that **_**pathetic? Was I **_**that **_**lonely?' **_Suddenly, I turned from the tree and stomped back towards the road. I was going to go home to my room and stay in there indefinitely. Maybe just forever.

'_**Wait, Catori,' **_Nix began urgently, but I was too pissed to listen. _**'The Ai-'**_

I stalked fully out of the woods. The street wasn't busy yet, as there was probably a match going on, but I managed to collide with someone anyway.

I didn't register much except for a bit of pain and a swirl of color as I fell. I landed on something a little softer than the ground, but I hit my head, so I squinted in slight pain as I pushed myself onto all fours, putting at hand to my temple.

"T-Tori?"

Shit. Of all the people to accidentally fall on (diagonally, by the way, in case you were wondering), it had to be _HoroHoro. _In spite of myself, I glanced down at him. His face was pink from our… compromising position, but in the next moment I was on my feet.

"W-wait!"

Before I could take more than two steps, HoroHoro rose and grasped my wrist. Surprisingly, this made me freeze completely, and he took my momentary shock to scramble to his feet.

"Tori, I- I was looking for you. I wanted to talk to you," HoroHoro began, still keeping a grip on my wrist; I was turned away from him.

He hesitated. "Tori, I-" He broke off, and his voice changed completely to one of his usual loud tones. "You look terrib- uh, tired. You look tired," he amended quickly.

Very suddenly, I just wanted to get away from him. I made to pull away, but for once HoroHoro was a step ahead. He whipped in front of me and grasped my other arm, moving so that his face was in front of mine. He became quieter again.

"I… I'm worried about you," HoroHoro admitted; his ears turned slightly pink. "What's wrong?"

When someone asks you that, is there really any way to convince them that you are, in fact, fine? I shook my head, but a sudden intensity in his eyes stopped me from trying to pull away from him again.

"You can tell me, Tori," HoroHoro said, in all seriousness. "I'll help you. You… you know that, right?"

I had known that HoroHoro had a liking for me ever since I first met him, but I had thought he would've grown out of that. However, the sincerity in his voice at his next words pulled the rug from underneath me.

"I… I care a lot about you, Tori."

His face began to move closer to mine.


	53. Denial and Decision

**DISCLAIMER: Shaman King is not mine. Only my OCs are mine. MINE I SAY!**

_**Note, I have no idea what any of the other priests do** - other than Kalim and Silva and Nichrom, they're all a mystery to me. All names were taken from wikipedia, so if they say/do something that they totally wouldn't do in the manga, don't sue me. Also, don't hunt me down if they're spelled wrong or something like that. They're not really doing anything, anyway._

_**Two: Yes, it's going to seem like, "What the hell? This important plot piece came out of nowhere!"** Originally, I never thought of this plot piece, but when I realized that I could use it, I literally jumped up and down yelling "It's perfect!" Maybe it's the fangirl in me. Gomen._

_With those two important stuffs out of the way, let me first apologize for keeping you all from reading this chapter for an extra 24 hours or so. I've written a chapter-and-a-half since last week, but I still can't guarantee that I'll still be updating once a week. The upcoming week is a busy one (Latin convention, the geek here is uber excited), and I really want to make sure that these upcoming chapters are all straightened out plot-wise. Hey, it's all for you guys - you AWESOME guys - so don't complain! XD_

_Very off topic, but I recently had a weird dream - I was a shaman, and I was transported to another world with the gang because we had to save it from Hao or something silly like that. Somehow Ren got poisoned or something (his eyes had turned toxic purple) and Yoh had to take care of him, so me and my friend (who's name was registered in the dream as Pirika) walked down MY road to find the others. Who did we come across? Two X-Laws with big machine guns. I think we died. And in another dream my new OC idea and Horo were going to see a movie, and Horo couldn't find his money so he was looking all around for it in his jacket - he was seriously taking it off - and... yeah. You know how they say "I won't eat (insert food here) before going to bed again"? I think it was because I watched SK before going to bed. Needless to say, I'm going to be watching a lot more SK before going to bed._

_Let's see, where did my evilness leave us off last chapter? Oh yes, somewhere along the lines of Horo coming in for the kill - er, kiss. *has an odd comical mental image of Horo running after everyone with Faust's medical equipment* Uh... XD If I could draw that idea I would. Anyways, y'all read on! (And I apologize if the beginning scene seems... rushed and choppy. Kinda meant it to be that way, but I don't like it.)_

**Fifty-Two: Denial and Decision**

In a burst of panic, I jerked away from HoroHoro completely and blindly stumbled away, but once again he took hold of my wrist and blurted, "Is it Ren? I - I've seen the way you…look at him."

What happened next was instantaneous. The memory of my sort-of kiss with Ren nearly a year ago sprang into my mind, but it was different. Before, if I were ever to think about that terror-filled moment, I would unconsciously put up blocks around it - I had put blocks around it _24/7_. But this time, the memory was so strong that it caused the blocks to break.

These blocks had before unconsciously kept Nix, whom had been grappling with Bason then, unaware of what I had done. I couldn't blame his reaction to the sudden knowledge: a wordless, mental howl of confusion and anger and fear.

I fell to my knees, and I vaguely heard HoroHoro call out. But at this point, it felt like he wasn't there at all.

There was no denying it. I thought I had fucked up by being so friendly to Yoh and the others, but now I couldn't escape from what I'd subconsciously always known… that I had broken a rule that was unfathomable to break and unfathomable to even think of.

I'd never had a panic attack before, but when I started to hyperventilate, I knew what was happening.

I heard HoroHoro say my name again in shock, and he stuttered, trying to say something calming, but his words were lost on me as I started to get tunnel vision. His hand brushed my back in an attempt at comfort, but he unknowingly touched my mark, and the pain caused me to flinch away.

Thank the Great Spirits: before I passed out, I could swear that I heard Silva's voice…

()()()()()()

"'_I kissed Tao Ren.'" _That was what Nyorai had been about to say.

For nearly a year, I had been living in denial. I had repressed the information like one would a horrifying memory. It had been inevitable, the fact that I would have to face what I had done, but in fact I had locked the detail away.

Not only was I a hypocrite, I was a coward and an idiot - no, I was a least ten times worse than those things, because it was possible that I had… inadvertently given Ren part of my aid.

()()()()()()

My heart felt like it could give out in fear at any moment when I woke up. I didn't know how I wasn't sweating like crazy even though I felt hot all over. I didn't know how - or if - I was still sane. I just stared up at the ceiling, breathing heavily as if I had just woken from a nightmare.

'_**W-what happened?' **_I asked Nix, whom I could just barely see in the corner of my eye, though I could feel his palpable concern and quietness.

'_**You passed out,' **_he explained. _**'Silva was there; we're back in our room. He's in the other room, and Shima is here with us. But the Ainu is also in the other room - he refuses to leave until he knows that you're all right.'**_

I sighed, trying to calm myself. HoroHoro's confession echoed in my ears, but it was far from being the most pressing matter in my mind. Right now, it was mostly an annoyance. _**'Of course he does. But at least he didn't go screaming to Faust and the others…'**_

I felt a hand on my forehead. "Are you all right, Catori?" my mother asked quietly.

Fear struck my heart, and I replied without thinking. _**'Yes - I was just exhausted.' **_

It was technically a half-lie, and I hadn't really covered up the whole Hao-thing, but it still made me feel sick.

"Do you need me to get you anything?"

I could hear the underlying meaning in my mother's words. She wanted to help me; she wanted me to confide in her, to tell her what I had really done and what was wrong. For a wild moment, I considered it, but I immediately thought better of it. I was never close to any mother I ever had, and Shima wasn't an exception, although she admittedly was the most understanding of me due to the obvious fact that she was Patch. Besides, even she would be horrified at what I had probably done.

In response to her question, I shook my head. _**'May I have some water?'**_

"Of course," Shima replied, reaching over to the nightstand; she had prepared herself. I sat up, and when she handed the glass to me, she continued. "That blue-haired boy came with Silva. He won't leave, and Goldva needs to come and see you."

I nearly choked on my water. What the hell would I say to Goldva? To Silva, to any of them? I needed time to figure everything out, and it felt like there wasn't any time at all.

'_**The truth might be the best,' **_Nix suggested quietly to me.

Words couldn't describe the sudden fear I felt at the thought of being known as a liar. _**'There's still a chance that Ren doesn't have any of it,' **_I snapped at Nix. I instantly felt a bit of regret for doing so, but I didn't apologize in words.

Nix looked down and didn't respond.

My mother, who wasn't aware of any of this side conversation, took my glass back when I was finished. She held it in her hands, rubbing the side with her thumb absent-mindedly. "What should we do about him?"

Though my mind was still mostly on the topic of my unthinkable mistake, an idea came to my mind. I felt a little guilty for the plan, but it had to be done. Of course, if I had never befriended Yoh and Manta and the others in the first place, I would never have had to do this at all, but here it was: the chance to cut off my faux friendships with them completely. At this point, it would definitely be for the best.

I brought my knees up to my chest and took Nix to integrate with him. "Let HoroHoro in," I told Shima. "He'll leave after that."

Something in my tone must've gotten through to my mother, because she frowned. She put down the glass and stood, heading toward the door, giving me one last quick look before she opened it and walked out. As her quiet voice wafted through the doorway, I hugged my knees and put my forehead on them. I felt my stomach twist at what I was about to do.

I heard footsteps, and a moment later, HoroHoro's hesitant voice broke the silence. "…Tori?"

I hugged myself tighter, as if I were afraid of his speech. In a way, I was.

I sensed him come closer. "Are… are you all-"

"Please go away."

The Ainu's shock was palpable at my quiet interruption. It took a moment for a slightly strangled "Huh?" to come out of his mouth.

I had Nix force my voice to go deeper and more hostile. "I don't want to talk to you." I had to restrain myself from stopping. "Get out."

HoroHoro's reply was quicker than I had thought it would be. "T-Tori, what are you-"

"I hate you."

After a tense moment, HoroHoro let out a nervous laugh. "You must still not feel well. I'll go get Faust and he can-"

"No," I interrupted. "I don't want to talk to any of you. I don't want to see any of you. I hate you all. Especially _you_."

"Tori…" HoroHoro's voice lost a bit of its concern and grew hard, but it still conveyed confusion, and… some desperation. "This isn't about what Ren was saying, right? You're not on Hao's side." The last words were obviously meant as a statement, but it nearly came out as a question.

Finally, I turned to look at him - straight in the eye. Without a word, I pointed towards the door. In no way did I answer his inquiry.

HoroHoro stared at me for a few long, hard moments. As each second passed, I felt my resolve drain, and I slowly pulled my arm back. What was I thinking? I couldn't do this. I couldn't tell HoroHoro that I hated him. I may not have felt about him the same that he felt about me, but I could never hate him.

And who was I kidding? There was no way in hell that, even if they didn't know me, Yoh or the others would accept my aid, even if I had what they needed to unite with the Great Spirits. We were already far, _far_ past the point of no return. Going further wouldn't do any more harm.

'_**No,' **_Nix interrupted my thoughts._** 'You can't do that.'**_

I ignored Nix, coming to a decision - I had to make up for this mistake, for _all _my mistakes. However, before I could do anything, HoroHoro spun around and began walking towards the door.

Panicked, I opened my mouth, but Nix wasn't having it, and all that came out was a squeak. HoroHoro seemed to hear it though, because he faltered, and I made to get to my feet. However, before I could, he whipped around and shot me a piercing glare.

"Now that I really think about it," he began, his voice low and fiercely underlined with anger, "we shouldn't have any reason to trust you. I can get not wanting to talk about yourself, but where the hell have you _been _all this time? What the hell have you been doing? Ren was right; you probably are Hao's spy or something." He let out a disbelieving snort. "I was so stupid."

His words felt colder than any attack he and Kororo could've dished on me. Without another word, he turned away completely, and I was frozen, only able to watch him leave.

()()()()()()

"Where were you, Catori?"

'_**It-it wasn't really my choice. Hao threatened to **_**tell **_**if I didn't go with him.'**_

Some of the priests murmured to each other. _Funny _how they could all fit into my living room.

I still felt cold. I still was aware that with every heartbeat a small part of my aid could possibly be in Ren. I still was asking myself _why, how, _and _who_, the questions the Great Spirits had raised about myself, along with ones I couldn't help wondering. _Why _am I here, _Why _am I so cold? _How _am I here, _How _could I have ever done _that _to Ren, even if it was the only thing I could think of to get him away from me at the time? _Who _am I, _Who _was I to do all the things that I've done?

"Do you know if he did tell?"

I remembered leaving Hao even though our deal hadn't been finished. _**'No.'**_

The mutterings grew louder and more urgent.

"Why did you collapse?"

_Because I think I did the unthinkable. __**'I was exhausted. I was too afraid to sleep even when Hao and his followers offered me a pillow.'**_

Nix stayed silent as he crouched beside me on the chair. Though he would always go with my decision and he would never leave me, he wanted me to tell the truth, and I just couldn't here. There was still a chance…

Goldva sighed through his nose. "What about Usui?"

I wanted to shiver even more. _**'He thinks I was just exhausted or something. He only stayed to make sure I was all right.'**_

"We have to keep this from happening again," Silva spoke up. "Hao could try this again, or T- Catori could get hurt." He just barely stopped himself from using my nickname.

"We could keep her under guard," Nichrom suggested from where he stood not too far away from my chair. He sounded sincere enough, but on top of all my anxiety, the memory of him taking me to Nyorai was too strong.

Goldva nodded. "That is a good idea. From now on, Catori should be accompanied by at least one priest."

"Should we move her?" Radim asked.

"No," Kalim answered. "It'd be too troublesome and risky."

I didn't mind that they weren't asking me for my compliance. I was already on board - I had no wish for any more "alone time" with Hao - but I also couldn't see myself answering any more questions coherently. Instead, my mind was replaying all sorts of scenes.

I wanted to come clean to Yoh and the others. I wanted to tell them absolutely everything… except for perhaps a small part, lest they try to interrupt my aid to the future Shaman King. I didn't care about the rules. I knew I was being selfish and stupid when I call them my _friends_, since I've been feeding them lies, but they mattered more to me than any stupid rules. Hell, they mattered more to me than my debt, even though if it came down to it I'd be forced to choose to serve the Shaman King and the Great Spirits. I had messed up earlier with HoroHoro, and I needed to make up for it…

…even if the likely outcome would be for them to hate me. Maybe… it might be better to hated for the truth than loved for the lies…

"Catori."

I jerked slightly, blinking as I realized that Goldva had said my name a couple of times. _**'I'm sorry - yes?'**_

"From now on, the priests will take it in turn to stay with you and your mother," Goldva explained, looking slightly exasperated at my inattentiveness. "You are not to leave here unless a priest says so - no one else. Understood?"

I understood, but there were still things that I had to do. I had to apologize, I had to explain - and I had to make sure if Ren really did have part of my aid. I couldn't do all these things from here, but at the same time I was afraid to do anything. In response to Goldva, I nodded.

"Good."

"I'll guard her," Nichrom volunteered.

The offer caught me off-guard. In a weird instant of instinct, I had a bad feeling about Nichrom's motives.

Goldva shook his head. "Kalim will tonight. While Catori is here, there must always be at least one of us." The chieftain sighed through his nose once more. "This was too close a call, especially for a time when the Great Spirits are so silent. Never has Catori died before her duty has been carried out, and I do not want to know what happens if she does."

()()()()()()

During the next twenty-four hours, I spent at least ninety percent of the time in my room. I didn't sleep much, nor did I allow either the priest (a man named Boron had come to replace Kalim in the morning) or my mother to enter my room for more than a few moments. I didn't want any company other than Nix. I needed to think, I needed to decide what to do. It was a good enough time than any, as the Great Spirits were so silent that they weren't even announcing any matches.

Now, I was leaning on the stone of my windowsill, looking outside. I had a clear view of one of the usually busier streets about twenty feet below, though it was empty now since it was lunchtime and it only had one shop that was closed because Boron obviously wasn't able to pick up Silva's shift; and out past the edge of the village, beyond what looked like miles of trees, was the swirling, massive form of the Great Spirits. They were so far away, but eventually I'd be there, with the Shaman King. With bitter amusement, I wondered, if Yoh or one of the others managed to defeat Hao, they would even mind accepting my aid.

Was this really what Goldva would call the Great Spirits' will? For me to suffer, for anyone to suffer? To give me countless of lifetimes of no real feeling, only to bombard me with it now? To suddenly make me lonely and bitter and cynical and a liar and just… a coward and an idiot…?

For the first time, I didn't find myself just hating my rules. I hated my duty altogether. Oh, I'd still do it - no question about that, I had to for the world - but that didn't mean that I had to like it. It didn't mean that I couldn't rebel even further. The Great Spirits may have given me life, but Yoh and the others had made everything I'd ever done worth it to _live_. To hear HoroHoro say that he had no reason to trust me hurt me more than spiritual contact with my mark. At least then the pain stopped.

'_**I have to do it, Nix,' **_I murmured. _**'Tell them everything - mostly.' **_The thought of still keeping something from them made my chest feel tight, but the fact was that it was a secret that would definitely be better if they didn't know. _**'Even if they hate me for it.'**_

I turned to Nix to see him looking up at me with his dark eyes. Even though he and I were always connected and we nearly always knew each other's emotions and thoughts (unless we concealed them, which was something we had both done - I worse than him, by far, as he was only keeping his nervousness from me), loyalty radiated palpably from his expression.

He didn't have to say anything. He would always be there for me. He would always be on my side, even if he didn't agree with me. In the beginning of our "little adventure" with Yoh and the others, he'd been argumentative - and I remembered him flat-out refusing to help me attack Faust when the doctor had tortured Manta - but he'd always done what he thought was best for _me. _

For a moment, I felt terrible for what I'd done to Nix, but he silently forgave me before even a second passed. He and I shared a bond that went beyond the beyond. Since our beginning, we'd essentially been Yin and Yang - even when we were apart, our souls were connected.

There was a knock at my door, and I turned around to see my mother poke her head in the room.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

I nodded. _**'Yeah.'**_

Shima hesitated. "Would you like anything to eat? I made some soup for Boron."

Even if I was hungry, I didn't think I'd be able to keep down anything. _**'No, thanks.'**_

My words were enough to stop the conversation, but my mother hesitated for a moment before coming into the room. Confused, I watched as she neared me; when she was close enough, she reached out, hesitated again, then touched my cheek in a mothering fashion. I unconsciously stiffened, but if Shima noticed, she didn't show that she did.

"You know," she began after a moment, "even if you are what you are, I still love you. I always have."

I won't lie - I felt uncomfortable. I didn't have any sort of ill-will for Shima, but never in my existence had I loved a mother, or even another person - perhaps the closest I've come is with Nix. Though I can't say this accurately because I've never felt love, I had a feeling that Nix and I might've gone to a point farther than that. But "love" is a finicky word; I had no way of knowing.

An expression I couldn't read came into my mother's eyes - part of me felt glad that I had lost the furyoku boost from the Chou Senji Ryakketsu: I had no desire to know what she was feeling. She pulled her hand back. "You're a very beautiful woman," she murmured; her voice nearly broke on the last word. "I don't say things like that enough."

With that, she gave me a sad smile and left my room, closing the door quietly behind her.

A weird feeling entered my stomach, but I had no clue what it could be. Instead of addressing it, I turned back to the window and decided to sit on it; I let my legs hang out over the street as I stared at the distant deity. I didn't know it then, but even though so many feelings and thoughts where whirling around in my mind, it was the calmest that I would feel for a long time.

"T-Tori-kun?"

The voice caught me by surprise, and I nearly fell backwards. I caught myself, though, and looked down into the otherwise-empty street. Looking smaller than usual because of the height I was at, Manta stood below me. Though I couldn't completely make out his features, he looked confused, somewhat angry, and… at least slightly afraid.

"Tori-kun," he repeated again as if he were trying to get his bearings on what to say; I did, however, catch the slight tremble in his voice at the honorific. "H-Horo-Horo-kun said that you - that you aren't worth our trust. Is… is he right?"

Guilt hit me square in both the chest and stomach. Here was just one consequence of all my lies: Manta looking up at me in fright and confusion. I didn't want to explain everything to him right here, though; I didn't know if I could bear telling the truth more than once.

Without either merging with Nix or oversouling him, I let myself slide off of the sill, keeping a hand and foot on the wall to slow my descent; the landing jarred my legs, but nothing else. Now Manta stood a few feet from me. He looked a little nervous, but determination showed on his face. After a moment, though, it fell.

"I-I didn't come looking for you or anything," he stammered. "Ryu-san was sad - Lyserg-kun abandoned Morphine, and I was going to help Ryu-san…" He trailed off. Quietly, he asked, "Tori-kun… we're friends, right? You didn't lie to us."

I didn't know my heart could tear like this. I knelt down, regardless of how Manta might take this as me acting like he was a child, and was a second away from speaking to him telepathically when the sound of footsteps caught my attention, as well as a presence. I looked up sharply.

Lyserg stood there, holding out his arm. An iron chain around his arm seemed to come to life, and before I could react, it had wrapped around both me and Manta, and when it touched my mark I was lost to pain.


	54. The Gate

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. I only own my own OCs.**

_Two weeks D8 I kept you all waiting for two weeks. I feel terrible. And I've only written... a chapter-and-a-half since then...? D8 Blame school! I work hard; isn't it enough that I spend entire math classes coming up with what to write? But I thought that you guys, being such awesome people (seriously, how many of you have followed/favorited this story, even if you haven't reviewed? *coughcoughnudgenudge* xD But still, you all are AWESOME), deserved this chapter. Originally, I was just going to post a notice, but then I thought, "What the hey, it's Memorial Day weekend, might as well celebrate."_

_Anyways, here's the notice: School's nearly over for the year. Which means that I'll have finals soon. So, here's the deal: school first, writing second, family third. XD I mean, if I somehow just bombed my finals, chances are that my computer goes bye-bye. (T.T that would make me very sad.) And, if I have enough written by next week, I'll update another chapter, but if I don't, I'll try again for the next Friday. Right now I'm restricting myself to updating on Fridays ONLY (unless it's the 14th, meaning month-a-versary!), which will hopefully mean that I'll be able to write up everything and update without screwing up plot. Because, knowing me, I'd screw up big-time._

_That was a bigger notice than I thought it'd be. Hm, what else've I been doing? Well, I downloaded all these awesome Shaman King image songs for some of the characters and right now I'm listening to them in slow-mo/sped up versions with my computer. _Tres fun~! _I also started reading... how do you spell it... Karakuradoji Ultimo (excuse me if it's spelled wrong). Anyways, it's Hiroyuki Takei's newish manga, written by Stan Lee, and I have to say that the artwork is amazing for Ultimo. In a color spread, Ultimo wore a green bear-claw necklace, and I freaked out XD I know I've asked this before, but is it bad that I'm so obsessed with Shaman King?_

_Anyways, you guys don't want to read all my ramblings. You want to read Tori's ramblings. Enjoy!_

**Fifty-Three: The Gate**

It had been the longest time that I had ever been aware of nothing but pain. When I finally came to, Nix immediately united with me, and it took me a moment to remember what had happened last.

My chest heaved for breath, and I realized that all of my limbs were chained. My legs were bound together, and my arms were being pulled out to my sides, as if I were being crucified on a cross, but without the cross. A burst of panic went through me, as well as the thought "I don't want to die like this."

I could barely focus enough to identify anything specific. I squinted in an effort to try to keep from being overwhelmed by the furyoku level in the air; it only helped somewhat, but now I could make out many archangel oversouls that stood in a ring, appearing to guard the Iron Maiden. The girl's torture device was situated in the middle of a circle of glowing lines, and a line of electricity connected it and the dark, swirling clouds overhead.

"What exactly are you guys trying to do?"

Startled, I looked up. "Manta!" The boy was being held in a body cage, which was being dangled by chains that were being held up by an archangel. It was then that I realized that the same archangel had chains that were connected to me.

"Tori-kun!" Manta exclaimed, and I could hear the mixture of fear and relief in his voice.

"Well," said a voice, and I looked to see Marco on the ground, giving me a look that I couldn't read because of the light reflecting off his glasses. "Look who's finally up."

"Why did you bring us here?" Manta demanded.

"To ensure that we get Yoh-kun no matter what," Lyserg replied, bringing my attention to him for the first time. His back was to us; he was faced toward the iron maiden. "Yoh-kun will definitely come here to save you."

Fury burned in my veins. "What right do you have to call him '-kun'?" I spat raspingly; I was still trying to catch my breath.

Lyserg spun around, but Marco held out a hand to calm him. "Jeanne-sama still has to question her, and then Jeanne-sama will pass judgment on her."

"Judgment?" Manta repeated, echoing my shock.

Before anything else could happen, Jeanne's voice rang out - it was loud, but still both innocent and knowing at the same time. "I must waste no time, Tori, so please answer promptly. Are you on Hao's side?"

The loud voice didn't help my dizziness at the furyoku in the air. "Hell no." Such a word as "hell" might not have been the best word to use around these guys, actually…

"Are you of any use to him?"

"I have nothing to do with Hao!" I rasped. After that outburst, my chest expanded faster for air. Pressure was starting to gather around my lungs, and I remembered once again how people would suffocate this way when they were crucified because of the effect of gravity.

"Then why were you seen with him the other day?" Jeanne asked snippily.

Panic filled me. They must have seen me with Hao at Yoh's Fight. "I have no idea what you're talking about! Let Manta and me go!" I pleaded.

Jeanne ignored the request. "Why does Hao have a fascination with you?"

"I don't know!" I gasped, thrashing as best as I could in an attempt to somehow escape. There was no way it would ever work.

"Lyserg," Jeanne prompted, and barely a second passed before something whipped out and slashed my cheek. An involuntary gasp escaped me, and I felt blood begin to trickle down my neck.

"There is hidden furyoku in you," Jeanne said matter-of-factly. "What is it for?"

I didn't answer. I was terrified - what did the X-Laws want? Undoubtedly they were using us to lure Yoh here, but what was with the light? How did Jeanne know about me? Were her shamanic senses as strong as mine? In any case, there was no way I could let them know anything about me.

I was whipped again - this time it landed on the side of my upper thigh.

"What is it for?" Marco snapped harshly.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" I nearly sobbed. _Damn it_.

"Stop it!" Manta demanded, sounding scared.

"Shut up!" Marco commanded. He turned toward the circle of light. "Jeanne-sama," he began in an entirely new tone, "if this girl _is _of use to Hao, it's far safer to just kill her."

"If all else fails, Marco," Jeanne soothed. "If we're going to purge Hao and Yoh with the Gate of Babylon, we need every bit of furyoku that we can get. We must collect hers if possible."

"Gate of Babylon?" Manta repeated, aghast and confused. "Collect?"

Marco turned to us and his glasses flashed. "The magic circle will bring forth the Gate of Babylon. When it opens, all nearby souls will be sucked into an empty world and disappear. Hao will finally be gone." His glasses flashed again, and then I was whipped once more - right across my mark, eliciting a scream.

"Tori-kun!" Manta yelled in the odd silence that followed.

I gasped for breath and felt blood soak the back of my shirt. Already I was drenched in both it and sweat. My arms felt like they were slowly being wrenched out of their sockets, and my body stung in the places I had been whipped. But even more so than this I felt a terrible sense of dread that things were bound to get a lot worse.

"Marco," Jeanne prompted after a moment that felt like forever, and the chain hit my mark again.

Even after the pain went away, my vision was blurred, and I belatedly realized that I was crying - I blinked until I could see clearly. I cringed when I heard chains rattle, but when I wasn't struck I looked up to make out Manta vainly struggling against his confines.

A metallic click caught my attention, and a giant sword suddenly appeared in front of my face held out by an archangel. Down on the ground, Marco was pointing his gun at me.

"Tell us how to get it." He didn't have to explain the "or else."

I looked at Marco, but I felt so weak that I had no idea if I was giving him a glare of not. I had never felt more contempt for this poor excuse of a man until then. Even when they killed innocent people, I never wanted to tear the X-Laws apart more. But what could I do here? I was chained up, and even now, the light from the furyoku circle was growing stronger - it wouldn't be long before the Gate opened. Helplessness overwhelmed my anger, and I didn't reply.

Marco scowled, but before he could do anything, something caught his attention, and he turned, his archangel turning slightly with him, although it kept its sword aimed at my neck. A moment later, I picked up the sound of footsteps, and the sudden hope that the Patch had come to rescue us rose within me. I looked, and immediately that hope was dashed, even though it really was a cavalry: Yoh, Ryu, Faust, Chocolove, HoroHoro, and Ren.

"They're here," I just barely heard Marco murmur.

The group came just close enough so that I could make out their faces. Yoh appeared calm, though I could see a glint of anger in his eyes. All the others, upon noticing first Manta and then me, widened their eyes in shock - especially HoroHoro. His mouth was agape, and his confession rang in my mind again - and it reminded me of Ren, or more specifically, what I had _done _to Ren. I looked to the Tao to see him frowning - no, _scowling _deeply, and his eyes were narrowed.

I suddenly remembered what Manta had told me: that HoroHoro had said I wasn't worth trusting. Did he still feel that way? Did any of them feel that way? Would they literally leave me hanging here?

"Quite the ransom note you left, Lyserg," Ren said; his voice was underlined with anger, but it was controlled. "Though it seemed implied that you wanted to do this peacefully."

HoroHoro appeared unable to hold himself any longer. "What did you _do _to her?"

Marco held out his arm to hold Lyserg back from doing anything stupid (far, far too late). He ignored HoroHoro's question and instead said, "Welcome to the Gate of Babylon, Asakura Yoh."

"Give us back Manta and Tori," Yoh demanded calmly.

"Very well," Marco replied, and his implied lie felt like a stab in the gut to me - there was no way he'd let me go. "Only if you swear to become Jeanne-sama's servant and cooperate with us."

"That's a lie!" Manta and I exclaimed together. Out of breath already, I heaved breaths while Manta kept trying to explain what was going on, but all Yoh said was:

"All right."

Instantly, all eyes were on Yoh. "So," he went on, "what do I have to do?"

Aghast, I could only watch as Marco gave instructions to Yoh to walk into the circle of furyoku and kneel before the Iron Maiden, whom was still inside her torture device. Obediently, Yoh dropped his katana and his antiquity before stuffing his hands into his pockets and walked slowly but steadily toward the circle.

"O-oi," Chocolove stammered, "Are you serious? What are you _thinking_?"

Suddenly finding my voice, I called, "Don't!" just ask Manta did. I thrashed again as if I could somehow physically stop him. "They're just going to kill us all!"

Yoh looked at the both of us calmly. "I'll be okay," he assured. "You two'll be out soon, and Faust can have a look at you, Tori. Don't worry about me."

"Don't, Yoh-kun!" Manta pleaded as Yoh neared the circle. "Stop!"

Manta kept screaming. I couldn't. There was nothing that would stop Yoh from his attempt at helping us. Yoh was just… His kindness was just… _stupid _here…

"_Yoh-kun_!" Manta screeched, and the volume alone brought my attention to him, but the sudden white light was what kept my eyes there. The metal cage around him broke, and the ghost of Mosuke appeared behind him, appearing out of Manta's glowing backpack - but just as quickly, the spirit disappeared. Manta began to fall, and I watched, transfixed, as Ryu's Yamata no Orochi oversoul managed to catch him before Lyserg's archangel could.

I managed to breathe a sigh of relief as Manta was pulled over to the others. Yoh, in his concern, had come away from the circle. But then it hit me: Manta may be free, but while I was still a captive, none of us were safe.

Marco brought this to their attention. "We still have this one, Asakura Yoh." He made a small movement, and his archangel brought its sword closer to my neck. The blade didn't touch me, but I was too afraid to make any sort of movement. If I wasn't so afraid that my telepathy would go haywire because of the stress and all the furyoku in the air, I would've told Yoh to book it and forget about me. Not that he would.

"_Why _do you have her, though?" Ren called. "Why did you torture her and not Manta? What makes her so special?"

Marco pushed his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose, probably contemplating the merits of telling the truth. "She's a pawn of Hao," he said finally. "We're going to use her first - unless you would like to trade."

The information seemed to spark through the others like electricity, from what I could see out of the corner of my eye.

"Didn't you say Ren was right about her?" Chocolove asked HoroHoro.

The Ainu was gaping. "Pawn…?"

Ren huffed and flicked his wrist, causing his sword to extend to its full length. "Unfortunately, this proves nothing. The X-Laws fed Lyserg lies; we have no way of knowing if they're telling the truth."

"I have not been lied to!" Lyserg retorted indignantly.

Marco held out a hand again to stop Lyserg. "Perhaps she's not willingly a pawn of Hao," he amended, "but Jeanne-sama senses a great furyoku in her. Best we use it and not let Hao have her. Asakura Yoh," he went on, "if you kneel before Jeanne-sama-"

"Stand back."

Jeanne's sudden voice silenced Marco, and all eyes turned toward the iron maiden. The door of the torture device opened, and out appeared the silver-haired, battle-clad girl. Her red eyes were slightly glassy, but they were determined.

"There is little time," she said quietly. "I will do it."

Marco started towards her in shock. "If you do it yourself, then-"

Jeanne cut him off. "Under the circumstances, we have no choice. We have no idea how to utilize Tori anyhow. We cannot delay any longer. As for them," she went on, turning her eyes toward Yoh and the others. "Shamash!"

The odd animal-like spirit suddenly appeared, and in a flash everyone was oversouled to prepare against it. However, before they could do anything, Jeanne called out the command of _"Confinement_,_" _and Shamash's arms glowed yellow before they extended into a sort of cage-like contraption around everyone and their oversouls. I watched, wide-eyed, as the structure glowed a multitude of colors and shrunk until it was the size of a small room. When the light disappeared from it, it revealed it to be like a large canary cage, with the boys stuck inside it, obviously unable to oversoul. I could only watch, horrified, as the cage seemed to move of its own accord about fifty feet above the ground through the air into the circle, directly above the Iron Maiden. Inside, I could see one or two of the boys pounding on the golden bars.

We were all going to die here; and I would never get the chance to tell them…

"Everything is for the peace of the world," Jeanne said in her airy voice. "Evil must be banished. Marco, kill her."

I heard screams and yells of protest, and for a moment that was all I heard. Jeanne's words didn't sink in until I picked up the sound of a gun clicking, and Marco's archangel brought its arm back in preparation to stab me. Fear filled me in those milliseconds, and I clung to Nix with my thoughts as if he could somehow save me. Not only were the screams so loud, but the blood pounding in my ears nearly drowned out the sound of the gunshot.

In literally the blink of an eye, the archangel's sword was intercepted by a burst of fire.

"So tiny…"

I heard Marco let out a strangled gasp and Lyserg yelled, and when the fire in front of me faded, I saw its source in the circle of furyoku, holding Jeanne in its giant, clawed hand: Spirit of Fire. On its other hand sat Hao, and Hao's lackeys were perched on its shoulders.

"I suggest you don't make a move," Hao advised as Marco pointed his gun at him, taking the archangel's attention off of me. "I'm afraid Tori-chan isn't yours to kill," he went on calmly. A tense silence met his words as he continued, "Let her go, and I'll let your little _Jeanne-sama _go."

Marco hesitated, and then nodded to Lyserg, whom scowled before the chains holding me suddenly disappeared. For several feet, I free-fell.

'_**Oversoul, Catori!' **_Nix urged, exiting my body and nestling into my hand.

Very sloppily, I oversouled Nix and shakily glided a fair distance away from the archangel, following the curve of the circle so that I was still as close to the boys as I dared to be - for there were still the archangels of the other X-Laws to worry about. The urge to run and save myself nearly choked me, but I pushed it away. Unable to hold myself up any longer, I let go of oversoul and dropped the few feet left to the ground on my hands and knees, but the impact was still jarring.

"Let her go, Hao!" Marco demanded, and I looked up.

"In a moment," Hao stalled easily. He looked up at the cage. "You guys are so mean. What were you planning to do to my other half?"

"We only have one purpose," Jeanne spoke up from within the clutch of Spirit of Fire. "And that is to pass the judgment of justice on you!"

Hao huffed and then turned to give Jeanne an odd glare. "Big words for a little girl."

Instantly, Spirit of Fire's hand burst into flames, with Jeanne still there. I heard Lyserg scream, but I was so taken aback by something that really shouldn't have surprised me that I just stared.

For a full minute, Jeanne burned. I couldn't see her within the flames, but I could just barely sense her. If she was conscious, I could imagine her glaring at Hao, whom looked as if he were burning nothing but dirt. Finally, Spirit of Fire's hand opened, and immediately the iron maiden opened up, and vines extended to quickly wrap around Jeanne before they pulled her back into the torture device and slammed the iron doors shut.

The light in the air dissipated, but the lines of the circle still glowed on the ground. Hesitantly, I extended my shaky senses toward her, but I was met with a fierce, invisible bubble of protection just around the iron maiden. She was still alive; Hao must not have burned her at full blast. Not to mention the fact that the boys' cage was still intact.

"Now then," Hao began, "what are you guys going to do next? If Jeanne-sama is like that, you won't be able to use the Gate of Babylon like you hoped to do, right?"

Lyserg fell to his knees, unaware of Jeanne's actual fate. While the other X-Laws assured him, Marco's glare switched from the iron maiden, to Hao, to me, and then back again. Obviously, he was weighing the merits and consequences of killing me in revenge for Hao hurting Jeanne.

Hao seemed to get the gist of Marco's thoughts. "I wouldn't try that if I were you," he advised. "I don't like the way you meddled with her or my other half."

Immediately, Hao's lackeys oversouled and launched themselves at the X-Laws. One of them - Luchist, I think, who actually had a particularly evil-looking archangel - made an attempt to attack Jeanne inside the iron maiden, but Marco intercepted the attack with the chest of his oversoul.

"Protect Jeanne-sama!" Marco ordered. "And they want her, too!"

All archangels were circled around the iron maiden, facing outward; the closest one quickly aimed at _me_ and shot a spiked iron ball out. I didn't even have time to be afraid before football-shaman dove past me and jumped into the air; upon contact with the iron ball, the weapon shattered, and football-shaman kept going to collide with the archangel, which began to tip backward. Football-shaman multiplied himself with his spirits, and the added weight caused the archangel and football-shaman to fall onto an X-Law.

The oversoul shattered, and I couldn't sense the X-Law anymore.

Shocked, I watched as two more X-Laws died at the hands of Hao's lackeys. I wanted to move, to get as far away from the carnage as possible, but I was frozen.

"_Stop it!"_

Yoh's voice rang out, and I looked up just in time to see Jeanne's cage wink out of existence, and the boys landed on the ground. Immediately, HoroHoro and Yoh rushed over to me while there was a temporary lull in the battle as the X-Laws thought that this meant Jeanne was dead.

"Tori!" HoroHoro reached me first and knelt beside me, while Yoh stood a little ways away and oversouled in case anyone came close.

'_**I'm so sorry,' **_I mentally whispered to the both of them.

Immediately, I saw Yoh glance back; his eyes were surprised, but despite his usual lazy appearance, he seemed to catch on quick and turned forward again.

"It's all r-" HoroHoro began before he realized that I hadn't moved my lips nor my hands. He stared at me, and in his black eyes I saw confusion and shock radiate. He almost looked as if he was going to say something, but before he could get a chance to, a sudden nearby explosion shook the ground and sent out a small shockwave. Instantly, HoroHoro's arms wrapped around my head and shoulders, and he shielded me close to his chest.

When the wind died down, he pulled away enough for us both to see Ren, Faust, Ryu, and Chocolove battling a handful of Hao's lackeys to protect the despairing X-Laws, whom had been knocked to the ground by the blast. Yoh wasn't where he had been before, and I looked around to see him a ways away, facing off against Hao and Spirit of Fire. Fear for them all filled me, and I turned back to HoroHoro.

'_**Go help them,' **_I urged, pushing against his chest.

Though he still appeared to be confused about my method of communication, he shook his head, although he did pull out his ikupasui and oversouled around it. "I'm not leaving you. You're hurt and can barely oversoul."

Frustration flared within me. _**'Damn it, Horo, they need you!'**_

The Ainu glanced back at Ren and the others, and I noticed his hand tighten around his weapon. "They can take care of themselves." He looked back at me. "I left you before, and look what happened."

I was about to retort when a weird, inhuman groaning sound reverberated throughout the entire area. The amount of furyoku in the air spiked, and I squinted and looked up to see the clouds darkening as they swirled faster; bits of lightning flashed at random intervals.

HoroHoro stood up, and I followed suit, albeit more slowly. "What is this?" he asked, gawping at the sky.

Realization stabbed at me as light erupted from the iron maiden. The doors of the torture device opened, revealing Jeanne, who looked more alive than I had ever seen her.

"Let's begin!" she cried.

Instantly, the circle brightened. In fear, I grasped HoroHoro's arm. _**'We have to get out of here!'**_

Before anything else could be said, the circle flashed, and a pillar of light reach up toward the swirling heavens. A tower of furyoku began to grow out of the ground, with Jeanne perched atop it with her iron maiden while the remaining X-Laws used their furyoku to create a force field around it to protect it against Hao's lackeys. The energy was nearly too much, and I felt so dizzy that I didn't know how I was standing.

"Idiots!" I heard Ren screech, and I offhandedly remembered that I never got the chance to figure out if I really did give him part of my aid. "If you release any more furyoku, you'll all die!"

"Stop it!" Yoh yelled.

The X-Laws didn't appear to care, because in the next moment the force field disappeared, the tower having finished its ascent. I squinted upwards to see the iron maiden float into the air to be transformed into Shamash holding a giant key.

"W-" HoroHoro stumbled with his words. "What is that?"

'_**I'm so sorry,' **_I murmured as a giant gate appeared in the sky; Shamash stuck the key inside it._** 'For everything.'**_

I heard HoroHoro let out a sound of confusion, but at that moment the Gate of Babylon opened. For a millisecond, everything felt calm; my senses felt clear, as if there was no furyoku or anything to pick up on. It was so peaceful for that millisecond that it only heightened my fear, because I didn't really understand it.

The wind picked up next, and with belated interest I saw my hair ribbon go flying upwards into the abyss beyond the gate. And then, there was nothing.

()()()()()()

It felt like there was both nothing and everything right in front of me. I couldn't tell where I was or where I was going, but it felt like I was at someplace in time. I couldn't make out what was in front of me, but I could just barely hear a voice…

* * *

_A/N Okie dokie, let's see how much I can get written between now and next Friday. If I can't update then, I'll aim for the Friday after that. While you're waiting... Hm, draw fanart, come up with epic shipping names for your favorite Muffled ship, reread Muffled... Or, you know, do what you had planned to do anyways. :P See you next time!_


	55. The Decision

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own SK. Only my own OCs.**

_going to kill my mom's laptop. my laptop is virus-ed and being cleaned (wahhhhhhh laptop i miss you sooooo!). i hate this one. note the grammar is bad in this author note (no caps, which is actually a pet peve of mine). trying to keep from using ALL CAPS TO SHOW MY ANGER THAT I HAD THIS ENTIRE AUTHOR NOTE WRITTEN OUT AND MOM'S LAPTOP DECIDES TO DO A RANDOM RESTART/UPDATE THING WHEN I'M SUPPOSED TO BE STUDYING FOR FINALS._

_anyway, happy monthaversary. didn't get a chance to really read this chapter over. there won't be an update for a while, still need to write out the climax chapters. once those are straightened out i should be updating more regularly. my apologies for taking so long. blame school. had first finals today, more finals to come._

_if there was anything else, i forgot. oh, this chapter has a theme song: Northern Lights Ballad Version. beautiful song, it plays instrumentally in the background of the episode (57...? dunno which exactly). i love it._

_and now, for the chapter you've all been waiting for... ENJOY! :D_

**Fifty-Four: The Decision**

'_**Catori.'**_

I winced, drawing myself together into a tighter ball. I didn't want to face the world. I needed to sleep, to recuperate, and the world was too cruel anyway. I was sore and barely awake, and I was pretty sure that I had just pretty much fallen out of the sky.

'_**Catori. Wake up.'**_

'_**Shut the hell up!' **_Nix should know better than anyone what I wanted, so why wouldn't he just leave me alone?

Frustration and impatience filled Nix's voice. _**'Catori, you may want to do nothing, but you **_**need to get up**_**!'**_

My eyes snapped open, and I automatically swatted toward Nix's general direction - I missed. Angered, I made to push myself up into a sitting position, but when I realized how stiff I was, I froze in slight pain. Unable to make any sudden moves, I glared at Nix.

The phoenix stood on the ground directly in front of me and stared right back at me. _**'We need to figure out what to do, Catori. Let's start with what just happened.'**_

I grimaced. _**'You… you heard what Hao said, in that place. That there's no need to continue the Shaman Fight.'**_

Nix puffed out his feathers in annoyance. _**'Don't you see what that means, Catori? Hao is going to go for the Great Spirits! He could be after you right now!'**_

'_**I know that, Nix!' **_I snapped. Suddenly, I found myself feeling empty of the anger and frustration I had just felt. Instead, I felt helpless and confused. I could understand that Hao had just used his almighty-ness to kick the X-Laws' plan into the dirt, which explained why I was sitting in the middle of the desert instead of wallowing away in the Gate of Babylon. But what happened to everyone else? Were they all right? Yoh, Manta, HoroHoro, Ren, Chocolove, Ryu, Faust - they had been pulled into the Gate too. They couldn't be…

After a moment, Nix let out an audible sigh and hopped closer. _**'You're still hurt,'**_ he reminded me gently, nuzzling my thigh. The black fabric of my tights was ripped and bloody, revealing a wound that was still glistening. Resignedly, I placed a hand there to heal the wound, doing the same to my back and to my cheek; at the same time, I alleviated the stiffness in my joints and muscles. Physically, I felt a lot better, but inside I just felt like crap. I actually probably looked like it too, covered in drying blood and dirt, and since I had lost my hair ribbon, so my hair was down and everywhere.

'_**If I hadn't been there, Yoh and the others might've been able to stop the X-Laws before Hao came,' **_I murmured.

'_**Don't think like that!' **_Nix snapped. It was his turn to glare. _**'What happened happened, and you can't change it. What we need to do,' **_he went on more calmly but still urgently, _**'is to go back to the Patch and tell them what happened; you need to stay protected.'**_

As I stared at Nix, I suddenly wanted to laugh bitterly. What he had said made no sense. _**'They can't protect me. They didn't even **_**try **_**to just now, they're so afraid of interfering.' **_I let out a derisive snort. _**'And I'm not even saying this as some weird whatever-you-call-me - I'm saying this as a member of their tribe.'**_

Before Nix could mask it, defensiveness radiated off of him. _**'They're not bad people, Catori - you of all people should know that.'**_

'_**I do,' **_I replied, shaking my head in the sudden epiphanies I was having - it felt as if weights were being lifted off my shoulders, weights I didn't know existed. _**'But the Patch seem just… afraid of the Great Spirits - and they're not something to be afraid of. If everything is in accordance to their will, then I think that our own **_**free **_**will is part of that.' **_

I fell backwards and just stared up at the sky. _**'My blood is Patch, Nix…but I don't feel like one of them.' **_Not only did I feel somewhat regretful about this - I felt _happy. __**'I feel so much more like my home is at the En Inn, with Yoh and Manta and Anna and Ren and Horo and Pirika, Tamao, Faust - everyone. I don't want this… this existence. I don't want to be used anymore. **_**Why, how, **_**and **_**who**_**, remember? I think **_**I'm **_**supposed to decide what those mean - but I don't know yet. Though… I do know **_**what **_**I'm going to do.'**_

Nix instantly knew what I meant, and he didn't like it one bit. _**'No. Absolutely not. Hao could kill you - Spirit of Fire could **_**eat **_**you.'**_

The thought of being consumed and ceasing to exist scared me - every living creature was afraid of death. Even though I had died too many times to count, I wasn't _gone_; I was never _gone_. But even still…

'_**I'm probably going to walk into a death trap - I get it.' **_I stared up at the passing clouds, wondering how many more times I would be able to see them. I had never thought anything like that before. _**'But if I'm right about Ren having part of my aid, Hao won't be able to use me. It's not a failsafe thing; but I know Yoh and the others are going to try and stop him, and I can't just wait here.'**_ To prove my point, I sat up, ready to stand and oversoul Nix so that I could get back to the village faster.

'_**You're not as strong as them,' **_Nix reminded me urgently, spreading his wings. _**'You'd be more of a nuisance.'**_

'_**I know,' **_I admitted, _**'but if Hao still believes he can use me, he won't hurt me. And I can heal the others.'**_

'_**Faust can do that.'**_

'_**Many hands make light work,' **_I retorted.

'_**Damn it!' **_Nix swore, shocking me. _**'Catori, what if you're wrong? Hao will use you and kill all of us - every last human like that short boy, and the Ainu and the Tao and the itako and the Asakuras-'**_

'_**Nix,' **_I snapped, _**'I know. But I'd have to be willing to help Hao for that to happ-'**_

'_**That's a lie and you know it,' **_Nix argued. _**'We have no idea if willingness has anything to do with it.'**_

Abruptly, I stood, muscles stiff as I looked down at Nix. _**'I can't leave them, Nix. I've left them long enough. I don't know what would be worse: regretting that I helped kill them, or forever wondering what would've happened if I had tried to help them?'**_

Nix and I stared at each other for many long moments. My resolve was strong; I _had _to try and help stop Hao. Not only because it was my obligation to the Great Spirits - even if it wasn't necessarily my duty - but like I said, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try. I would go back to just existing, or to wishing that, and I didn't want those things.

Finally, Nix seemed to deflate. _**'I just don't want you to get hurt,' **_he admitted quietly. _**'In any way. You've been hurt more in this life than in any other.'**_

My posture softened, as did my attitude, and I did something I could never remember doing before: I took Nix and hugged him, wings and all. I buried my face in his feathers; he smelled like smoke and fresh wind at the same time. _**'I feel like this is the only life I've ever lived.'**_

I could tell that Nix was masking some sort of emotion, but I let him do it. After what could've been a second or a lifetime, he said, _**'All the same, we should go check up with the Patch first. Hao might be out here looking for you.'**_

For some weird reason I let out a chuckle as I let go of Nix._** 'Talk about a change in topic.' **_

Feeling determined but also heartened, I oversouled Nix and took off into the air toward the village, following the strong tug on my body. With each second that passed, I could feel Nix and I getting closer to whatever-it-was that awaited us at the end of our chosen path.

'_**What would I ever do without you, Nix?' **_I asked lightheartedly, trying to keep myself from the dark predictions at the edge of my mind. I was still worried about whether or not everyone was all right after the whole X-Laws fiasco.

'_**The same thing you're doing now,' **_Nix quipped. _**'I can't keep you from doing anything. You're like a spoiled child.'**_

I laughed, my broken voice filling the air for a moment. _**'Love you, too.'**_

Nix didn't reply, but his silence was still a comfort as I - no, _we_ - flew on.

()()()()()()

It couldn't have been more than ten minutes, but it felt like an hour until I came across someone in the desert: Silva.

"Tori!" the priest greeted anxiously, holding onto the leg of his eagle spirit, his robes billowing in the wind. He approached quickly, obviously scared by my appearance, calling out, "Are you all right?"

Irritation surged through me. The Patch had left me all alone the entire time the X-Laws were trying to kill me! Granted, I had gone against what they had told me to do (and obviously not just when I left my room without a priest), but I was a member of their tribe! It didn't matter if I was "special" or not: Goldva was far too scared of the Great Spirits, of interfering.

'_**So now you come looking for me?' **_I spat, glaring at Silva.** 'Now,**_** after all that's happened?'**_

Silva winced and stopped short. When he opened his eyes fully again, I immediately saw the regret there in his irises. "I'm sorry, Tori, but-"

'_**You know, Silva, I've called the Ten Priests 'brothers' before, but that wasn't really the truth,' **_I interrupted._** 'The only people who've actually treated me at least somewhat like a sister are you, Kalim, and Chrom. I don't care if I'm the Shaman King's aid, I'm your **_**tribe mate**_** - and it shouldn't matter that Goldva's too stupid to inter-'**_

"Tori!" Silva snapped suddenly, and I became silent in surprise.

Silva's face was hard, and with his hair whipping in the wind, I was reminded of Hao when the pyromaniac was a Patch. However, Silva's dark eyes were far softer, and he didn't look menacing. "Tori," he said again, "as soon as I saw on the Patch Monitor that you were out here, that the X-Laws" - he nearly spits out the name of the freaking _cult _- "had you, I left. Goldva and the others did nothing, but Kalim came with me. On the way, though, Mikihisa stopped us, saying that this could be the only chance of truly stopping Hao. He wouldn't let us pass."

I blinked in astonishment as I took in his words. So they had been trying to come and help me. I didn't get how they couldn't get past Mikihisa, but the man was mysterious, and I for one wouldn't want to get on his bad side at all. Still, though, I was pissed at Goldva and the other priests. _**'Where's Kalim?' **_I asked, and I looked around as if he might pop out from behind a rock on the ground or something.

"We went looking for you," Silva explained. "I just split up with him to cover more ground - which reminds me," he added, lifting up his arm to look at his Oracle Bell. He readjusted his grip on his eagle spirit so that the bird was more holding onto him, and tapped the screen of the device. No doubt he was sending Kalim a message.

'_**Well?' **_I asked when he was done. _**'What now?' **_Actually, I knew what I was going to do, but I needed to be aware of what the Patch wanted me to do, so I could think up a way to slip off to Yoh and the others.

Silva let out a small sigh, as if he were finally somehow relaxed. Of course, he wouldn't know about what Hao had said in the Gate of Babylon. "We really need to bring you back to the main chambers so Goldva and the others can see that you really are all right, but I think you need to see your mother first."

'_**Shima?' **_I asked, momentarily confused before I realized that she obviously was going to be worried about me. Instead of stopping to think, I blurted, _**'But she won't let me out of her sight.'**_

Thankfully, Silva didn't realize that I was talking about me getting to Yoh and the others, and instead assumed I meant us going to see the other priests. "Don't worry, she will." Before he could say anything else, his Oracle Bell beeped, and he tapped the screen again. "We should go now," he said after a second of reading the message. "Kalim's on his way back."

()()()()()()

As soon as I walked in through the door, my mother was there. And by "there," I mean her arms immediately wrapped around me as she pulled me into a tight embrace. I stiffened under her touch, unused to such affection from her, but she didn't let go.

"I-I heard something," she hiccupped, "a-and I l-look out the w-window and…" She broke off into sobs, but I knew what she had meant to say. It still didn't make me feel any more comfortable.

Out of the corner of my eye, I looked pleadingly at Silva. He gave a small shake of his head, silently telling me to let my mother be comforted for another moment, and did nothing.

It hit me then, very suddenly: if Hao really was going after the Great Spirits right now, and Yoh and the others were going after him, and me after them (talk about a game of Follow the Leader), this could very well be the last time I saw Shima. Even more suddenly, I saw the resemblance between her and Tai: they had both cared about me, and I only felt guilt about not caring back. I had treated them both like they meant absolutely nothing; the only difference being that I felt guilt for Shima _now, _and onlyafter Tai and Maylin had died had I felt that for my past brother.

With these things in mind, I hugged Shima back, even if I didn't feel like her daughter.

It was _her _turn to stiffen, but I ignored it. I wasn't hugging her particularly hard or anything - my arms were just wrapped around her back - but I'd never hugged her before. I could practically hear the two sides in her mind: singing happiness and roaring confusion. I wasn't even close to trying to pick up her emotions, but suddenly came a spike of alarm: why would I be hugging her?

I immediately but slowly pulled away from her; I hardly felt anything but guilt when I hugged her, so there wasn't a big need to put on a poker face. _**'Goldva and the other priests need to see me. We'll be back later, okay?'**_

I could see that Shima was hesitant. Obviously something was wrong; that was needless to say. She brooded over the answer for a second, but eventually her commitment to the tribe won over her curiosity, thank the Great Spirits, and she nodded. "Yes; go ahead."

"Hopefully we won't be gone long," Silva joked, bowing his head to Shima and guiding me out the door. I resisted the urge to take a look back lest my mother change her mind.

()()()()()()

The streets were crowded, and the topic of the day was the X-Laws' attempt of getting rid of Hao. Silva and I pushed through the crowds, going too quick for too many people to get a good look at me. Still, I wondered if any of these people realized what Hao was planning right now, that the Great Spirits were being threatened. That at any time Hao could become all-powerful and wipe out the planet.

When we finally came to the tunnel of stairs that led down to the priests' meeting chambers - as well as the path to the Holy Ground - the scent of smoke greeted us. Instantly, Silva and I both froze momentarily, shooting a glance at each other. He rushed down the stairs immediately.

I hesitated. Smoke could only mean one thing: Hao had been here. I extended my senses, but neither Hao's strong furyoku nor the presence of Spirit of Fire were there, which meant that he had already gone on. But still, I was afraid of taking that first step, because that would mean that I was really going to go through with it. That I was going to tell the others everything, that I was going to help them, that I could possibly be an aid to their death or an aid to Hao's or I could disappear completely down Spirit of Fire's gullet, depending on what happened. There would be no lies to protect me down there.

Anything could happen.

In a weird way, the thought excited me. Unpredictability. The idea that things weren't going to be set down for me anymore. The thought of a final death still terrified me, but… I was free to choose what to do.

So I took the first step down the stairs.

I went at a normal pace, a million times slower than Silva had gone. I kept one hand on the cold, rough rock wall. Even though I could see the light at the end of the steep stairway tunnel from here, it felt like the darkness could swallow me if it wanted to. Maybe it was my own fear. It felt as if I were trapped in the shadow of the tunnel, tangled in tendrils of darkness. I froze, just inside the line of shadow at the bottom of the stairs.

Inside the main cavern, just before the tunnel to the Forbidden Forest, was _everyone _- the Patch, Yoh's team, Ren's team, Anna, Manta, Tamao, Pirika, Jun, Pailong, and all the spirits, gathered around Mikihisa's form on the ground. From here, I could smell burnt flesh.

How could I just barge in and yell out the truth, especially with the Patch there? They all knew I was suspicious, especially after the X-Laws fiasco, but I was suddenly afraid again. Even after all my resolve to come out in the open, I still wanted them to accept me. They had been the only ones aside from Tai who hadn't treated me differently - except for Ren, he had always treated me like a spy.

'_**Speaking of the Tao,' **_Nix whispered, _**'now's a good time to check.'**_

I hesitated, but as the group continued to speak, I inched my senses forward, cautious; part of me really did want to know if Ren had part of my aid, but another part was… apprehensive about diving into his mind. In any case, I focused on the back of his head, just at the point where his tongari began. I hesitated once more, and then entered his mind.

I was nearly swept away. Ren's thoughts were very to-the-point, but they were strong. Mostly, he was focusing on what was being said (furyoku numbers, I think; I'd always hated that system, as I prefer to think that it matters more about how you _use _your furyoku than how much you _have_), but in the back of Ren's mind, it seemed as if he had come to an important decision. Before I could glean what it was, absolute shock entered his mind as Goldva said, "Hao's furyoku level is over one-and-a-quarter million."

The momentary turbulence nearly expelled me from Ren's consciousness, and I had to hold on tightly to keep from losing the connection to him. I dug deeper into Ren's mind, and I could feel him stiffen, realizing that he was being intruded, and I hastened the search, moving my senses to the pit of his stomach, where his furyoku was. It was a blinding gold, which really pissed me off because I was looking for a bit of just a darker, reddish shade of that and - _there it was_.

I only brushed against it for a second, but I could tell: that furyoku, that tiny bit of reddish gold furyoku that was only good for one thing - and it wasn't fighting, let me tell you - radiated a part of my aura.

I immediately pulled myself out of Ren's consciousness and shrunk back against the wall, nearly tipping back and falling flat on my behind. Ren had glanced back and was looking in my direction, but if he had noticed me, he did nothing and turned back toward the conversation, where Yoh and the others were beginning to take off their Oracle Bells and dropping them on the ground - exactly why, I wasn't sure. I suddenly didn't feel much sure of anything, except for the fact that I had _seriously _fucked up.

There was no question: when the time came for the Shaman King to be chosen, the only one it could be now was Tao Ren. Well, if Hao didn't manage to kill us all first.

With the boys - aside from Ren, actually - having taken off their Oracle Bells, Silva and Kalim led them, plus Jun and Pailong only, to the jagged tunnel that led to the Forbidden Forest, and, beyond that, the Holy Ground. For a moment, I wondered what I had missed concerning Silva during my walk down the stairs, because the priest seemed to have forgotten about me, but I could forgive him for that. Besides, I had to do things myself now.

Which was going to be really hard, by the way, because for a second I couldn't seem to control my breathing. I mean, I had had the idea that Ren might have my aid, but now that I really knew it was both a relief and a burden, if that was possible. In any case, I dug my nails into my palms, took a shuddering breath, mentally clung to Nix like my life depended on it, and hurried into the cavern.

Immediately, the priests saw me. So did Anna. Actually, everyone did after a moment, but it felt like the stares came from the priests and Anna (whose look seemed to be magnified ten times more than the priests' _combined_). The silence was so tense that Manta, Tamao, and Pirika, who had been looking at the jagged tunnel worryingly, finally noticed me. On the ground, Mikihisa's face was pointed toward me, but I had no way of knowing if his eyes were open or not. In any case, the most noticeable of his features was the burnt flesh on his legs that had been half-wrapped with bandages. Need I have to take a stab in the dark on who the culprit was?

I was sure they were taking in my state. I hadn't bothered to clean up, knowing that I was probably just going to get bloody again anyway. I probably looked like a stranger, with my hair dirty and cascading everywhere, my clothes torn. And also with no seeable wounds. Out of the blue, I wondered if I looked like a murderer.

Nobody spoke. A minute (or an hour, it was that tense) passed, and then one more. Finally, I snapped straight into a sprint toward the tunnel to the Forbidden Forest.

Immediately, two demons blocked my path, and I stopped short. Zenki and Kouki.

I whirled around. _**'Let me help them, Anna! I can lead them!'**_

I was sure that everyone in the room was shocked, but I kept my eyes on Anna, who just looked at me through her narrowed black eyes, arms crossed. Her red bandana was bright against her neck, and for a second I imagined it to be blood, and it reminded me of the battle looming on the horizon. This only made me look at Anna all the more intensely - and imploringly.

Footsteps caught my attention, and Goldva took my attention away from the itako. The chieftain was just about glaring at me, his wrinkles hard-edged. He began to clear his throat, but I ignored him and looked back at Anna.

'_**I lied, Anna, but I did tell you as vaguely as I could what I do. I know how to get to the Great Spirits. I know Faust's already with them, but I can help heal-'**_

"Catori," Goldva snapped, and I looked to see that he and the other priests had pale faces, and were looking at me as if I had sprouted two more heads.

I looked back to Anna. Her expression hadn't changed, but before either of us could do anything, a voice piped up:

"…I thought so."

Startled, I turned to Manta, as did all eyes. The short boy was looking straight at me, his eyes wide and astonished as he continued, "When you guys left for America… I thought I heard you. I _did _hear you." He blinked his wide eyes. "…You did lie…"

I nearly wanted to cry. Manta didn't outwardly appear to feel betrayed, but he seemed to be in some sort of shock. His look was mirrored in Tamao, and though while Pirika's eyes were wide, her expression soon became hard. "You _lied _to Onii-chan?"

I felt the need to become defensive, but I did my best not to overdo it. I had this one shot to apologize correctly. _**'I lied to all of you, and I'm so, so sorry. I never wanted to.'**_

"_Catori!_" Goldva repeated, and suddenly I couldn't take it anymore.

I rounded on the Patch. _**'I don't give a damn what you say anymore! Maybe I'm one of you by blood, but you don't treat me like one! I'm only this… this **_**thing **_**to protect until I help the Shaman King! But even then, you all do a shitty job by leaving me for the X-Laws because you're too afraid of **_**interfering**_**! Well, I'll tell you what, I became biased forever ago, and I'm not afraid to say so anymore!'**_

Even though I really wasn't yelling out loud, I felt out of breath and slightly shaky. _**'I'm Patch by blood,' **_I added, _**'but I don't want to be.'**_

"Hao will _use you_!" Goldva roared.

A smirk came to my lips, and it felt slightly unnatural. _**'He can try.'**_

Angered, Goldva stomped his walking stick into the ground, and several of the priests began to rush toward me. I backed up, ready to oversoul Nix, but there was no need: Zenki and Kouki suddenly blocked the way of the priests.

Surprised, I turned to look at Anna. Nothing about her facial expression had changed, but she gave a slight nod, though I could somehow tell from her eyes that if I managed to get Yoh hurt, well, you can finish that thought for yourself. Tamao looked shell-shocked, staring at me silently like Mikihisa appeared to be doing (though his facial expression was hidden from me). Manta's eyebrows were scrunched up, as if I were a particularly difficult math problem, and his mouth was slightly open. Pirika, though, had the most emotion of her face.

"You had better make sure Onii-chan is all right!" the Ainu girl warned. Immediately, she bit her lip, and I could see the worry in her eyes, and I could imagine her adding, _"Be careful, too."_

I nodded to them all and whirled around and dashed off toward the jagged tunnel before the priests could somehow manage to get past Anna's demons. As I ran, my heart tightened and I had to hold back tears.

_I'm so sorry, for everything. I'll do my best._

Even as I thought this to myself, I couldn't help but think of the worst that could happen.

_If I get the chance, I'll tell you everything._


	56. The Forbidden Forest

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. I only own Tori and Nix and Shima and all those OCs. :P**

_Don't get too excited; I'm still going on my promise to keep from updating until all the epic action chapters are finished. However, today is a special day. You want to know why? One: summer vacation started yesterday. Two: laptop is now virus-free. Three: several days ago, I dropped my thumbdrive in the toilet - **I dropped Muffled and all my Ren - er, Shaman King pics and all my other works in progress in. the. toilet**. After seeing the life of my computer flash before my eyes (little did I know that my laptop wouldn't have to be set back to factory settings), I saved it, and then promptly took a shower and scrubbed my hand to death. Thanks to my handy-dandy iPod, I Googled what to do; I set it under my lamp for DAYS to dry it. Several hours ago, I decided, "it's now or never" and I put the thumbdrive in. And SUCCESS! There IS a deity out there that loves me! :D_

_But seriously, I was stressing for those days. I mean, I dropped MUFFLED down the toilet. What the hell? Call me butterfingers. But seriously, do you know what love is? It's sticking your hand down a toilet to save something. Or, you know, other stuff._

_Anyways, all that aside, I did survive finals. SUMMER VACATION! More writing time. Woo-hoo! :D_

_This chapter's a little on the short side. However, I think it's action-packed. And... oh gosh...I... I won't... THESE EPISODES MADE ME... *stumbles away so she doesn't spoil anything* You all will hate me..._

**Fifty-Five: The Forbidden Forest**

It was damp and dark in the tunnel. Though the jagged ceiling rose high above me and the walls were far apart, I felt as if they were closing in. I pushed my legs to go faster, not bothering to oversoul; even Patch members couldn't move freely in the Forest - or me for the matter. If I tried to fly over the trees, I would be pulled to the ground like a stone.

I fully expected at least one of the priests to run after me, but Anna and her demons must've been doing a good job. I knew I wouldn't want to go up against her.

When I finally broke out of the cavern, I had to squint against the light of the Great Spirits. At first glance, it looked like they were at the other end of the massive Forest, but in actuality they were on another plane of existence.

I regained my bearings quickly and began to run down the stone stairs to the forest floor below, all the while scanning for the others. My eyes and ears were the only things that really worked here in the Forest; the Great Spirits drowned out all other auras, though they didn't make me that dizzy for some reason. Unless someone was five feet from me, I wouldn't be able to sense them. I would have to leave it for fate to find the others before I made it to the other end of the Forest.

I rushed into the trees, and for a long time the only thing that I could hear was my own breathing and the muffled vibrations of my feet pounding on the mossy ground. Even though I knew I was going straight toward the other end of the Forest, following the familiar tug on my body, I felt lost.

Then, far off somewhere to my right, I heard an explosion.

I stopped short, but momentum made me fall to the ground. Quickly, I scrambled to my feet, Nix appearing beside me lest I need help, but before three seconds had passed I was already running toward where the sound had come from. I had to know what had happened.

"Aw, Cat-chan, you look terrible."

Startled, I nearly fell flat on my face again, but I caught myself and whirled around to see two priests standing among the trees: Jink and Nichrom.

For a moment, I was scared: what if they had come to forcefully take me back to the other priests? I wasn't a fighter, and both Jink and Nichrom were known for it, even if Nichrom was young. It hit me then that maybe I would be more of a liability than a help to the others…

'_**Catori,' **_Nix whispered urgently, _**'they weren't in the cave earlier.'**_

An epiphany came to me then: the reason why Nichrom had been acting so strangely; why I had been questioning him.

'_**You're on Hao's side, aren't you?' **_I realized.

Both men smirked. "Hao-sama thought you'd come on your own, Catori," Jink said.

I found myself glaring at the duo even though the words sent a slight chill through me. _**'So that's why none of you **_**lackeys **_**came to find me.'**_

Nichrom shook his head. "Actually, Cat-chan, he wanted to see if he could gain the Great Spirits without your help."

The information caught me by surprise. _**'But - but he'll hurt them!'**_

Jink and Nichrom shared a look before they burst out laughing, but I was too taken aback to do anything about it. If Hao tried to take the Great Spirits by force without my aid… he wouldn't be able to gain their full co-operation, at least not at first, but both he and the Great Spirits… they'd be in pain.

"C-Catori," Jink managed through his chuckling, "do you think he cares?"

"He's going to change the world, Cat-chan," Nichrom added, managing to control his laughter. "He'll wipe out all humans with the Great Spirits, and all those too weak. I highly doubt it matters-"

'_**Don't call me Cat-chan,' **_I snapped suddenly, beginning to see red. I wanted to know why they were going against the Patch, against the teachings they'd been taught all their lives - against the _Great Spirits_. But then I realized that I was doing the same thing, sans the last part (at least, I hoped so), and that knowing why wouldn't change the fact that these two had decided what they were going to do.

Nichrom raised an eyebrow, all amusement forgotten. "Why not? Hao-sama-"

'_**I don't give a damn what he thinks!' **_I yelled. Without a second thought, I whirled around, following the tug in my body, and rushed back through the trees, away from the two who were, like me, traitors that would never be able to go back to what they had once been.

()()()()()()

I ran a full ten minutes before I stumbled straight into the path of a spiked ball on a stick.

It was that sudden: at first, all I saw was a huge mass of oversouled iron and steel rushing toward me, and the next moment I was barreled into from the side and pushed out of the way. There was a huge crash, and the earth shook for a moment, but I was more aware of the person that had just pushed me up against a tree in order to prevent me dying.

"What the _fuck_," Ren snarled, "are you _doing _here?"

Though he had just saved me, and I had come to help him and Yoh and the others, this kind of greeting made me angry. _**'I'm here to try and help you guys, damn it!'**_

The Tao began to huff, but he abruptly cut himself off, his gold eyes sharpening as they flicked to mine.

The next moment, however, was filled with another large crashing sound, and Ren grabbed my arm to yank me away from the tree as the giant mace decimated it. Finally, I realized that maybe I should try to figure out what the hell was trying to kill us, and I looked up to see Luchist perched atop his dark archangel. Even though he was incredibly high up, we somehow locked eyes for a moment, and he paused in his attack.

"Ah, Tori-san," he greeted loudly. "Hao-sama thought you'd come here on your own."

Every time I heard the bastard's name now, my fist trembled. _**'Nichrom and Jink already told me that!' **_I spat.

"Nichrom?" Ren repeated next to me; confused, I turned to look at him. For one second, both of our guards were down, and the butt of the mace was suddenly jabbed between us. Startled, I jumped backward, as did Ren, so that we were farther apart.

"I'm afraid I can't hurt you, Tori-san, lest Hao-sama actually needs you," Luchist "apologized." "You're welcome to continue on while I deal with Tao Ren." He nearly spit out the name.

Hardly before they were out of his mouth, however, there was a flash of gold, and the staff of the mace was cut in half.

"She's not going anywhere before I find out what the fuck's going on," Ren snapped at Luchist, although he looked at me as he said it.

I felt anger course through me again, and I didn't understand why. _Of course _Ren would be acting like an asshole at a time like this - I shouldn't be surprised. He would still be suspicious even if I did tell him everything and more. I was ready to say something - anything in my defense, or just something stupid in retaliation - but suddenly everything shook, and I swore silently. What the hell were the Great Spirits doing? Hao was going to _hurt _them!

'_**Come,' **_the collected voices commanded in their nearly alien language; the volume shook my body along with the ground._** 'Show us your souls.'**_

Immediately, white light burst up from the ground in huge cylinders. There must've been at least a hundred of them all across the Forest, reaching up toward the sky. In a way, for a moment, it was beautiful.

But for the first time for me, it was terrifying.

Each of our attentions was focused on the lights, but I was jerked back to reality when Luchist's oversoul suddenly moved toward the nearest cylinder. Before either I or Ren could react, the man leapt into the light, and both he and his oversoul disappeared.

Ren let out a growl audible even from here, and he took a step toward the light before he stopped himself, as if he had suddenly remembered something - namely, me. Before I knew what was happening, Ren was glaring at me straight in the eye, his sword pointed directly at my throat.

"What," the Tao spat, "does Hao want with you?"

I could somehow find the time to wonder just how many times Ren was in the position to stab me to death. I decided that answering his question instead of explaining everything then and there would probably be the best course of action. _**'Right now, he's trying to take the Great Spirits by force, but if he can't do that he's going to **_**try **_**and use me.'**_

Ren's eyes tightened, and I could somehow tell that he had caught my stress on "try." "How?" he asked.

I tried not to flinch at the question - that was the one thing now that I didn't want to explain. I didn't miss too much of a beat, though. _**'I'm supposed to aid the Shaman King - I give him a special furyoku to better unite with the Great Spirits. Without it, both the Shaman King and the Great Spirits are hurt and the unity isn't complete.' **_

Ren's eyebrows scrunched up at the information, and I continued. _**'I'm a Patch secret, Ren - that's why I was-'**_

"You knew everything."

The simple statement silenced me.

Ren shook his head, a scowl on his face. "You always knew how to get to Patch Village, and probably everything else, too. I don't care why, but you lied to us and used us. But also, why should I believe you now?"

The words were like knife thrusts to my conscience, and I needed to defend myself. _**'I never wanted to-'**_

Ren pushed his sword forward, and the cold steel touched my neck. "You used to confuse the hell out of me," he admitted harshly. "There was always something off with you. But now all I know is that I shouldn't let you take another step - for if you _are _telling the truth, then it's best if you get as far away from here as possible." Judging by the way he said it, he didn't believe me one bit. He shook his head again. "You were never worth the confusion."

Something inside of me broke. _**'He can't - I don't have all the-'**_

"Ren!"

The sudden call caught our attentions, and I looked to see Jun standing there, Pailong behind her. The Tao girl was panting slightly, but her eyes were hard as they flicked from Ren to me and back again, and to the sword between us.

"Good," Ren said brusquely. "Nee-san, keep an eye on her. Don't let her leave." Without any further explanation, Ren shot me a _look _before he turned around and rushed toward the cylinder of light, disappearing inside.

It wasn't until he was completely gone that I realized I had unconsciously put out my hand as if I could stop him. _I don't have all the furyoku, _I wanted to say. _You_ _have some, too._

Before I could think any more, I rushed toward the light, intent on finding Ren and making him believe me. Before I could get more than a few steps, though, a slender hand gripped my arm firmly, and I looked to see Jun staring at me in confusion and concern.

"What is going _on_?" she asked. Her blue eyes slid over my bloodstained clothes. "What happened to you?"

Very suddenly, I wanted to cry (what was happening to me? PMS?). Everything was just so fucking frustrating, things were moving far too quickly, and my thoughts didn't seem to want to co-operate with me. Not to mention the fact that I lied to everyone and that Hao was probably going to succeed in killing us all.

"Tori-kun," Jun said seriously, "what-"

'_**I didn't want to lie,' **_I gushed, hoping that Jun would understand me; that someone would forgive me. _**'I didn't want to, Jun!'**_

The Tao's eyes widened, and she let go of me, taking a small step back.

I had to control myself, I had to sound like a rational person. But I think I lost rationality forever ago. _**'Jun, I have to help them, I have to tell them the truth.' **_Damn it, now I was trembling, but I didn't feel that there was anything I could do. _**'I have to - I-I can't leave them, not now - I need to help, I need-'**_

I broke off, tears finally coming to my eyes and spilling down my cheeks; in response to this, Nix appeared at my shoulder and nuzzled me. I felt terrible, crying at a time like this when I could've - _should've _- been running after everyone. Ren hadn't given me my doubts, but he had pulled them out of me and spat them in my face, so much that they were overwhelming.

What could _I _do? I wasn't a fighter. The best I could do for them was heal; I would be a liability for the rest of the time. If I was right, Hao wouldn't be able to fully use me, but that wouldn't stop him from trying, and that would undoubtedly-

I shook my head, trying to clear it. I had to try and stay positive. More than anything, I had to go after the others and make sure that they were all right. So what if they hated me for the lies; it was far better if I did my best to help them. Making sure they were safe mattered far more than I did.

"…Tori-kun…"

I looked back up to see that Jun had come closer. The Tao girl's head was to the side slightly, puzzled and concerned and hesitant. After all, she and I had hardly ever had a real conversation before, and suddenly I was blurting out all this stuff to her without ever moving my hands or my mouth.

"Why does Ren want you to stay here?"

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand like a small child would. _**'I… I lied so much that he won't even believe the truth. And… I didn't get to explain it to him fully: I'm supposed to give the Shaman King a special furyoku, and that's why Hao wants to use me - but I don't have all the furyoku, so… Hao can't completely use me.'**_

Jun was silent for a moment; she continued to look confused. She was probably trying to hold back fear at my communication method. "Maybe Ren doesn't want you to get hurt…?"

My first urge was to laugh, but I repressed it. Jun didn't know what she was talking about. Ren sure as hell wasn't worried about my well-being. He wanted me to shut up and stay out of the way.

An odd, new determination rose inside me. I'd show him. I'd slap it into his skull that I wasn't who he thought I was. That I wasn't worthless.

Before I could have another thought, I jerked away from Jun and rushed toward the cylinder of light, letting it engulf me. Though at first it felt like I was floating in nothing but whiteness, soon _everywhere _around me was a stormy grey, like clouds, and they did nothing to help my nerves. Before I could get too used to it, the color dimmed to a misty grey, and I was falling.

Before the panic of falling could fully set in, Nix nestled into my hand, helping me to oversoul. I floated down to the damp ground, looking around to get my bearings. A grey, ominous mist pervaded the air along with the nearly overwhelming presence of the Great Spirits, and odd, tall rock formations pointed up toward the sky. I recognized the place as being the outer edge of the Great Spirits' domain; I'd have to run - _no, fly, that's faster _- to find the others.

I unfurled my wings to take off again, but I suddenly froze, my eyes trained straight ahead.

'_**Did you see a flash?' **_I asked Nix, scared not just of Hao appearing out of the mist and snatching me up but also of him doing the same thing to the others. It was too easy to imagine Hao burning the others like he had done to Jeanne, even if the girl did survive.

'_**I can't be sure,' **_Nix admitted. _**'Don't worry - I'll help you keep a lookout.' **_

Though it was impossible to be completely assured, Nix's words calmed me enough to get me to lift myself off the ground a few feet in order to fly. Within a few seconds, I was speeding, but also going slow enough to keep a watchful eye out.

It was a good thing I was, because I don't know if I could have dodged the attack beam that suddenly shot out of the mist.

I spun through the air a couple of times before I could right myself. Heart pounding in my chest, I looked wildly toward where the attack had come from, and I realized that I could hear shouts and crashes and bangs. The sounds of people battling.

Slower than before, lest I get hit by another beam, I flew toward the sounds. I felt like I was going both too fast and too slow. No doubts were running through my mind at that moment; I still wanted to pound some sense into Ren, but I needed to make sure that the others were all right.

Vague shapes formed out of the mist. I could recognize the giant shape of Faust's oversoul of Eliza, and I flew faster, managing to pick out the individual forms of the guys: Chocolove, Ryu, Faust (standing on giant Eliza's shoulder), Ren, and HoroHoro, whom was perched atop the giant form of Kororo. They were facing off against a handful of Hao's lackeys, three of whose oversouls were giant.

Even as the forms became clear to me, one of Hao's lackeys appeared out of nowhere with a giant, Lego-like oversoul and struck HoroHoro's oversoul dead-on.

HoroHoro yelled and rocketed through the air back toward me before he came to a skidding, rolling halt on the ground. For a split second, I felt absolutely cold as I saw the bits of red that spattered him, and at the sound of a gunshot I looked to see Luchist's archangel bearing down on HoroHoro, its mace raised to strike.

At the same moment I swooped down to HoroHoro - as if I could somehow save him - the blow was blocked by Ren.

The Tao's muscles were straining against the force of the archangel as he held it back with the staff of his oversoul; it was easy to see that, even for him, it was nearly too much. His body shook with the effort, but all I could do was stare at him, outlined by the light of his oversoul.

And then, Peyote's giant skeletal oversoul struck Ren away with a sword.

Blood spurted from his side, and Ren was tossed into the air like a doll.

* * *

_a/n Oh, gosh... *sobs* I hate doing a/n's at the end of chapters, but this episode... T.T My Lenny-Ren...!_


	57. Trust

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. I only own my own OCs.**

_I'm not entirely sure if this is correct, but there should be a difference between "aide" and "aid." "Aide" is a person that helps, like "Proffessor Oak's aide," while "aid" is just assistance. (Don't quote me on this. I was too lazy to look farther than my Word dictionary.) I feel the wording really helps when Tori uses either spelling of them to describe herself._

_Anyway... T.T my Lenny-Ren! How could they hurt you? *sniffle* The only thing about SK is that they don't show enough blood in the anime. When all the blood pooled under Ren when he fell in the show, I was like "O.O Nuuuu! What the hell is this? REN!" Actually, that's the response that I always show... *watched the series multiple times. lost count.*_

_I will say that there's some TorixRen stuff in here. I mean, you all must've expected it. Ren's dy-dyin... you know. But my goodness, I am at such an internal struggle. Each chapter I wrirte changes my point of view on the final pairing. (Talk about characters writing themselves. I gave HoroHoro an inch with Tori in that "Allen" chapter and he's taken a mile! Selfish Ainu.) I won't say who I'm leaning towards... if I'm leaning toward anyone at all. I may have said in the far past how I knew how this was all gonna go down. I half-lied. And this story freaking writes itself._

_By the way, still not done with all the action chapters. But I can't help it. Uploading is addicting. ...What will I do when this is over? T.T (Oh, little note: new poll on my profile asking just that question. Though I'm sure you'll all be biased about it.)_

_Enjoy!_

**Fifty-Six: Trust**

The words running were my head were these: this isn't possible, that didn't happen, Ren didn't get hurt. Not one thought included my previous ambition to beat some sense into him that I wasn't worthless.

However, as Ren's body arced through the air, his limbs limp, I was aware of just how mortal he really was; and I couldn't just sit there and watch him…watch him…

Before I knew what I was doing, I was flying, barely a foot above the ground, rushing toward Ren's falling body. He seemed to fall faster than I could fly, and my heart felt like it was lodged in my throat. When I slammed into him after what felt like forever, I wrapped my arms around him as momentum and his weight brought us tumbling along the ground. The world was a swirl of brown, grey, violet, red, and throbbing pain until I lost my hold on him as well as my oversoul.

I only rolled a few feet away from him, and I managed to surge onto my hands and knees thanks to adrenaline. But when I looked up to see Ren lying there on the ground, Bason hovering above him in disbelief, I froze.

I remembered the dream that the Great Spirits had given me when I had returned to Patch Village, the one that had raised the questions of _why, how, _and _who_. The one where I had seen everyone bloody and still and lifeless. The resemblance of Ren now and Ren in the dream was… just about the same.

Had it been a warning of the future? Was everyone going to die?

Cries of Ren's name accompanied the sounds of running footfalls, and in the back of my mind I could understand that the others were running toward him. And then I heard a cry of something I knew would kill us all:

"_Beam!"_

I squeezed my eyes closed against the sudden light, but I didn't notice the drop in air temperature until I opened them again and saw that HoroHoro had generated a shield of thick ice all around us. The only ones missing in here were Ryu and Chocolove, no doubt going to protect us on the outside.

"Damn it!" I faintly heard from outside. "Hao doesn't want _her _dead too!"

"I wasn't aiming for her!" was the reply.

…Even now… even with Ren like this… they wanted me alive. I felt sickened.

"How is he, Faust?" HoroHoro asked hurriedly; the sounds of Chocolove and Ryu retorting Hao's lackeys filled the background.

"He's still breathing," Faust replied; despite being an accomplished doctor, his voice was shaking very slightly. "But he's losing blood fast. He needs surgery. Eliza," he urged his wife, and the spirit handed him a bag, which he placed on the ground and opened; it was full of medical equipment.

The sight of the stainless steel tools brought me back to life. Those wouldn't be able to help Ren, not with his wound. He would… _**'No!' **_I snapped, rushing toward them in a weird combination of running and crawling.

Immediately, Eliza was there, holding my arms in a death grip to keep me from interfering.

"What the hell are you _doing_, Tori?" HoroHoro shouted, his voice straining slightly as he kept the oversouled ice up; there was a crash on the shield, and tiny bits of ice rained down.

"She's in shock," Faust replied quickly, his voice distracted as he worked to repair Ren.

I struggled against Eliza's grip; the blonde was frowning slightly, but she didn't have to exert too much force to keep me from getting away from her. _**'Let me help!' **_I pleaded.

"Tori," HoroHoro began as the shield started to take more impacts, "let Faust-"

'_**I can heal him!' **_I cried, looking back at HoroHoro.

Startled, the Ainu looked back, and his eyes met mine for a split second, and they flashed with something unreadable before the ice shield shook violently and he had to turn his attention back to his oversoul. After a moment, he spoke.

"Faust, let her help."

The doctor had already paused at my last exclamation, and he glanced back. "Eliza," he commanded after looking at me, and the spirit let me go.

Quickly, I stumbled to Ren's side, beside Faust. The doctor had pulled off Ren's vest to reveal the wound; already in the short amount of time, Faust had done a lot of work, but the side of Ren's abdomen was sliced open and bleeding, and I nearly wanted to vomit at the sight of his torn muscles. The Tao was obviously unconscious, his eyes closed, but his chest was rising and falling, albeit shallowly and far to quick.

Faust held out some sort of equipment, but I ignored him and mechanically put a hand on Ren's chest; the sight of him like this was so frightening that I didn't know how I could move. I couldn't help but remember trying - and failing - to heal Chrom, but when I felt Ren's faint heartbeat I knew that there was somehow still a chance. Pushing aside the revulsion I felt at the sight of his torn muscles and the fear in the thought that I could fail to heal him, I put my other hand over his open wound and pushed furyoku into him.

I focused on the inside of the wound first, letting the torn organs heal; I'd have to thank Faust later, the stitching made the process go faster. Next I willed the muscle tissue to twitch back together, and I could feel that less blood was pouring out of him. And finally, I focused on his skin, but my furyoku was starting to run out. When I pulled my hand away, a large, pink scar lined where the open wound had once been.

"Amazing…" I heard Faust breathe, reaching out a hand and touching the scar as if to make sure that it was real.

I couldn't share his fascination. Ren was still covered in blood and unconscious, and healing others was more exhausting than just healing myself; I was shaking. Something wet fell on my bloody hand, and that was when I realized that my vision was getting fuzzy. I blinked the tears away.

The ice around us trembled violently again, and HoroHoro called out, "Are you finished _yet_?"

Faust was instantly back into Doctor Mode. "Tori-kun healed the wound," he replied, "but Ren-kun is still unconscious." He put two fingers to Ren's neck and placed his ear near to the Tao's mouth. "His body temperature, breathing, and heart rate are all dropping," he relayed urgently, pulling away. "I don't have enough blood to give him! I don't have the equipment to help him with this!"

I stared blankly at Ren, not knowing what to do anymore. I couldn't help him with this either - I could only heal the wounds, nothing else. But there had to be something…

I reached forward and lightly slapped Ren across the face with my less-bloody hand, wanting to wake him up but also not wanting to hurt him; I could feel the difference in the temperature of his skin. _**'Damn it, Ren,' **_I cursed as his head only lolled slightly, and the sight only made me more distraught. I resisted the urge to slap him harder and instead grabbed his shoulders to shake him lightly; his body didn't resist. _**'Damn it, wake up!'**_

"Tori-kun," Faust said suddenly, pulling my hands away before putting his hands over Ren's chest as if he were going to give the Tao CPR. "Do what I do," he commanded. To demonstrate, he let an orb of pure, greenish furyoku form under his hands, and he pushed it into Ren's chest. Ren's body jerked as if he had been pumped with electricity.

"Bocchama!" Bason cried out in alarm, and I almost did the same.

I held my hands beside Faust's and created a reddish orb that was significantly smaller than his. I cursed silently as Ren's body jerked again. What was happening to my furyoku? But that question aside, I was doing nearly nothing to help now. Ren was… Ren was going to die…

"We need more furyoku!" Faust called. He turned around. "Everyone, I-"

Suddenly, the crashing that had reverberated through the space inside the shield was accompanied by a deafening splintering sound, and the ice fell away, disappearing in the presence of Peyote's giant skeletal oversoul. Immediately, Faust, Eliza, and I made to screen Ren from any attack. Chocolove and Ryu fell back beside us, and HoroHoro backed up in front of us, cursing.

Here we sat, six overpowered shamans, one of us unconscious, against Hao's lackeys, who had obviously given power by Hao. One of the lackeys, the turbaned man - Turbine, Hao had called him - took a step forward, holding up his arm.

"Hold it."

There was a slight pause as Luchist held out a hand to keep his allies from attacking. "Tori-san," he called. "If you surrender yourself, we can barter on the lives of these boys."

I was too close to the others for Turbine to get a clean shot. It was that simple, but it also made my blood boil. I surged to my feet, ignoring the confused looks of Chocolove, HoroHoro, Ryu, Faust, and Eliza. _**'You liar!'**_

Luchist obviously knew that he couldn't even touch the others right now without risk of killing me. To his credit, he didn't look too annoyed by this. "Zang-Ching," he said, addressing the fat Chinese man. "Separate them."

Immediately, Zang-Ching whipped out his gong-on-a-chain, and it glowed sinisterly as it sped toward us.

"I won't let you!"

The shout caught me by surprise, but even more surprising was the sudden wire shield that blocked Zang-Ching's attack. His attack nullified, he man brought back his weapon, and Lyserg rewound his pendulum.

"Lyserg!" Ryu called out cheerfully, jumping to his feet.

"Ryu-san," Lyserg greeted hurriedly, rushing in front of us and facing Hao's lackeys. "Leave this to me and help Ren-kun! HoroHoro-kun, please protect the others!"

Confusion swept over me. Lyserg had kidnapped me and Manta. He was an X-Law. He and them had been ready to _kill _me.

"_What_?" HoroHoro sounded as angry as I felt.

"Please," Faust pleaded to Ryu and Chocolove, "give me and Tori-kun a hand. We have to transfer our furyoku into Ren-kun and revive him."

"Hurry!" Lyserg urged, looking back.

Even though I couldn't see HoroHoro's face from back here, I could tell that the Ainu was giving the dowser the evil eye; he was sizing Lyserg up.

"Okay," HoroHoro agreed finally. "Ryu, Chocolove, go!" he urged, and I saw the glow of his oversoul.

Ryu and Chocolove ran to the other side of Ren and knelt. I gave Lyserg and HoroHoro one last look before I did the same and pushed thoughts of what side Lyserg was really on out of my mind. Ren was more important.

Ren's body jerked once more as the four of us pushed furyoku into him. A light appeared behind me, and I couldn't help but look to see that Lyserg had a new oversoul: a very archangel-like oversoul of Morphine. Officially intimidated - but somehow glad that Lyserg seemed to be on our side at the moment - I turned back to Ren.

With each burst of furyoku, his body jerked, but otherwise he didn't respond. Any hope I might have felt previously was diminishing, and I was suddenly overwhelmed by the fear that Ren would really die.

"_Faust_!" HoroHoro suddenly shrieked, and I took one quick glance back to see three of the lackeys' giant oversouls rushing at him; and, ultimately, at us.

I didn't think about the fact that they weren't going to kill me; my first thought was _They'll have to kill me _first_._ I turned back toward Ren, ready to crouch over him to keep him alive.

"_No_!" I heard Lyserg cry; and the next thing I heard was a thundering crash. Seconds later there was a thud.

"Lyserg!" Ryu screeched.

Ren's hand twitched, and I froze.

"Lyserg!" This was from HoroHoro.

Ren's eyelids shuddered.

Hao's lackeys whooped with joy like dogs as they went in for the kill.

In the same instant, Ren's hand tightened into a fist, his tongari shot up, and his eyes snapped open.

"_Bason!" _

The spirit was oversouled, and Ren was gone so fast that my hair was caught in the wind. Unbelieving, I jerked my head around to see Bason's giant form blocking Luchist's archangel; Ren himself rushed forward at nearly inhuman speed to snatch up the unconscious Lyserg bridal style and literally jump up the nearest rock formation and perch at the very top.

"Huh?" Chocolove said dumbly beside me, looking at the spot where Ren had just been lying.

"Hey you!" one of Hao's lackeys called out; I couldn't bother to care which one. "Weren't you just on the verge of death?"

Ren huffed, and the arrogance in his voice made me want to both pummel him and hug the hell out of him; the relief left me shaky. "'Verge of death'?" Ren repeated in scorn. "Hmph. Stop talking nonsense. I'm Tao Ren! I'm not someone who would be defeated so easily by the likes of you!"

"Do you _know _how much trouble we had to go through?" HoroHoro snapped as he held up a fist, though I could hear the relief in his voice.

"I know," Ren replied. His voice softened. "I think I know." He ducked his head slightly and then raised it to look straight at us. "I'm sorry."

Shock struck me straight in the gut. No… Ren didn't just _apologize_…!

"W-_whaaaat_?" Ryu and HoroHoro cried out simultaneously. Actually, I don't think HoroHoro made any sort of word out of the sound he made.

"Did his personality change because he was on the verge of death or something?" Chocolove asked confusedly.

Faust gasped. "I-I - did I make a mistake when I was treating him?"

One of Hao's lackeys let out an angry yell and jumped into the air toward Ren, which enticed every one of his allies to do the same. Immediately, Ren oversouled Bason again into a Bushin and launched himself down toward them, one hand still holding Lyserg. He yelled something at them, but I didn't take them in; I could only watch as Ren sliced at the men with his golden furyoku, leaving them all to fall to the ground - at the very least unconscious - while he landed smoothly.

The boys erupted into cheers, rushing toward Ren. I ducked my head, putting a hand up to my face. It was wet, and that knowledge only made me cry more.

Ren was alive. Ren was okay.

The cheers continued, and when I heard Ryu shouting about Lyserg I assumed that the dowser had woken up again and had been forgiven (at least by Ryu); but when their talk started to die down I heard footsteps approaching. I looked up slightly, and there was no mistaking the Chinese-slippered feet that stopped right before me.

"You had better start explaining," Ren commanded. "We're wasting time. Yoh's ahead of us."

Something exploded inside me, and I jumped up, ready to smack Ren in the face, but he grabbed my right arm with his left hand and put his right on my left shoulder to keep me still.

My relief had turned to anger, and I looked Ren square in the eye. _**'Don't you fucking scare me again like that, you bastard!'**_

Something flashed in Ren's eyes, but other than that he kept his serious demeanor. Before he could say anything though, Chocolove piped up in bewilderment: "Did Tori just talk without talking?"

I blinked twice before I broke out into chuckles, not only in amusement, but as a way to let go of the weird rushes of adrenaline I had just experienced. Before too long, I was laughing my head off. My laugh, as always, was breathy and wrong-sounding, but I couldn't help it. I probably looked insane.

All eyes were on me in uneasiness formed from a mixture of suspicion and wonder, and not just because Chocolove had somehow made me laugh without trying to crack a joke. Nix appeared at my shoulder, and I forced myself to stay as calm as possible, but that was hard. _**'After all the times Hao tried to get me, after all the time I was gone and when the X-Laws had me, **_**that's **_**your question?' **_I asked.

The silence was tense and silent. For some reason, after all the worrying I had done, this moment, the one where I would have to tell them everything, was weirdly easy for me. Even if it was still as scary as I had thought it would be. My logic wasn't making any sense to me, but then again I think my logic had been thrown out the window… forever ago.

"What are you?" Ren prompted, and that question was what dropped me back down to earth. _What_. It was something he had wondered before, back when we were at that spa resort.

…_Why, how, _and _who_…

'_**I am not a **_**what**_**,' **_I said forcefully but quietly, pulling away from Ren. Surprisingly, he let go; I thought he might try to keep me from running away or something. _**'I'm a **_**who**_**. I'm… My real name is Catori, and I'm aide to the Shaman King.'**_

Stunned silence met my words. It was obvious that no one knew what to say, and neither really did I. To my surprise, Nix clicked his beak and spoke aloud.

"I'm sure you're all confused," he began, ruffling his feathers in exasperation, "but I believe you all have something to save…?" He trailed off importantly, and then went on, "Well? You all can walk and talk at the same time, can't you? Catori can lead you, it'll be faster."

"No," Ren said quickly, taking charge again. "Hao wants you there, so-"

'_**I know I've been lying to you all this time,' **_I interrupted him, _**'but you have to believe me here: Hao can't fully use me, and since he can't do that he can't fully take control of the Great Spirits. I can explain everything, and I will, but if we stay here while I do that then that'll get us nowhere with Hao.' **_I looked around at them all, nerves starting to eat away at my insides again. _**'I can lead you to the Great Spirits. If we hurry we might be able to get there before Hao does.' **_I paused, hating what I needed to say. _**'You have to trust me.'**_

"Trust?" Ren and Chocolove chorused in unison - obviously something that had never happened before. However, Ren's voice was a scoff and Chocolove's was just simply disbelieving.

Chocolove elaborated, not that he needed to. "You've obviously been lying to us the entire time, so why should we listen to you _now_?"

My fist tightened. _**'I'm not asking you to forgive me. All I want is to explain and help you. Maybe the Patch can sit by and watch this happen, but I can't.' **_I bit my lip. _**'I never wanted to lie.'**_

There was a pause, and Faust stepped forward. "I believe you, Tori-kun. If you didn't want to help us, you wouldn't have healed Ren-kun."

Surprised, I turned to look at Faust; the doctor was giving me a slight smile, and after a second I returned it.

A collective wave a confusion washed over the others, and each of them stopped to look at Ren's pink scar. "You… _healed _Ren-kun?" Lyserg asked.

I turned to look at the dowser; my smile had faded. Maybe Lyserg had saved us, but he still wasn't high on my "Like" list. _**'Healing; it's a defense mechanism, in case something happens to me. I'm only able to do it when I'm a Patch.'**_

"_When _you're a Patch?" Ryu asked, holding his head in confusion.

I turned back to Ren; his expression was unreadable, but he was obviously deep in thought. And displeased, but he was always like that. _**'Do you want to go stop Hao and catch up to Yoh or what? No matter what you do, I'm still coming. Either you trust me or you don't.' **_

The words had been strong - or, at least, _I _thought so - but my throat felt dry with apprehension. I wanted them to trust me. I wanted them to believe me - the real me.

I looked to HoroHoro. Upon eye contact, the Ainu dropped his gaze, and just when my hope completely dropped through the floor, he looked back up again. His gaze was serious and unflinching, but still guarded. "…I trust you."

I was too stunned to reply.

"I… I do, too," Lyserg added, and I looked to him again in complete surprise. The dowser fidgeted. "It was wrong to… capture you like that. I'm sorry," he apologized. Quietly, he added, "I thought it was the right thing to do."

'…_**I can forgive you,' **_I admitted; after all, he had just come to our rescue. _**'But not the other X-Laws,' **_I added quickly.

A flash of pain crossed his face, and his mouth turned into a half-grimace, half-smile. Just the look was enough to tell me that at least some of them had died, other than the ones back at the Gate. "That's… fair."

"If Lyserg trusts you, I trust you," Ryu said immediately, and I had to smile at him.

"If-" Chocolove began, but he cut himself off and started again. "I guess… I mean, you've never been… I don't know… _evil_…" He scratched the back of his neck and sighed. "Yeah. I… trust you."

This was better than I had thought it would be, and I felt a little dizzy. However, I knew what to expect from Ren, but I still felt a flash of a weird mixture of both hope and dread when I turned to him.

His golden eyes were hard, like golden steel, and his mouth was set in a firm line. He looked like some sort of war god, covered with so much blood, old, light scars all over his torso that accompanied the fresh pink one on the side of his abdomen. "I never trusted you," he said finally. "I'm not about to start now."

I couldn't help but grimace in disappointment. The words felt like Ren had stabbed me. But what had I been expecting? Ren had never approved of me. He wasn't going to turn around suddenly and say something… I don't know, something he wouldn't say.

"However," he added, turning to pick up his vest off the ground, "I'll listen to you."

I blinked uncomprehendingly for a moment, startled. Did he really just say…?

"If you lie at all," Ren continued, and I came back into focus enough to see that he had already buttoned up his vest, "or if it looks like you are on Hao's side, I won't hesitate to kill you. Now, you said that you can lead us to the Great Spirits. Do it."

Feeling heartened, I couldn't help but smile despite Ren's serious warning. _**'I won't disappoint you guys,' **_I promised on the spur-of-the-moment happiness I felt. Maybe they didn't all trust me - and they all must've certainly had their doubts - but at least they were going to let me explain myself.

Without a second thought, I edged through them and began running toward the Great Spirits. I looked back to see that Ren was keeping stride right beside me; just behind was Faust, followed by Ryu, Lyserg, and Chocolove. HoroHoro brought up the rear; his brows were furrowed.

"Do I need to tell you to do everything?" Ren asked harshly, and I jerked back to attention. "Explain."


	58. Truth

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King, only my own OCs.**

_While I have finished the action chapters, I've just been struck by writer's block - at a point where I REALLY want to write! Gr. (My parents don't understand that my best writing comes from 8pm-1am. *grumble*) I just have one thing to say about upcoming chapters: I am a an evil (bitchy as well, kinda) author and won't tell you anything. 'Nuff said._

_However, some of you guys - actually, all of you who have been saying "WHY DO YOU KEEP LEAVING OFF AT GOOD PARTS?" and those of you who won't have the pleasure of reading this in the future when the next chapter is already updated - you guys will be uber, UBER mad with me. :P Like, I'm expecting to ward off pitchforks and flames and stuff like that (please don't take that as an incentive to do so, I don't tolerate flames). You have been warned._

_On the subject of other news, my dA was finally updated a couple of days ago. Three new pics: two of my new OC idea, and the third is RenxTori, that little mess of a sort-of kiss they had so long ago. *sighs* Good times. XD_

_And now, for the latest installment of Muffled. I hope you enjoy, and please don't come after me. Actually, you shouldn't - I have hired Ren as my bodyguard. He is my new desktop background. XD Actually, its a picture from an episode I can't remember, and he's standing in the shadow of something or another and looks kinda nervous. I find it hilarious imagining he's looking at me through the screen._

_Anyway, enjoy!_

**Fifty-Seven: Truth**

'_**All right,' **_I stalled, wondering just how I was going to approach this. _**'I guess I'll give you the abridged version first. Then you guys can ask all the questions you want.'**_

I paused slightly, looking at the ground that passed by quickly beneath my feet. _**'First thing to say, I guess, is that - originally - I was born when the Patch was just starting out-'**_

"'Just'?" Chocolove piped up in confusion. So much for the "questions afterward" stuff.

"But wouldn't that be-" Ryu began to add.

'_**Thousands of years ago? Yes,' **_I answered, biting my lip. _**'I was born premature and dead; my mother also died.'**_

Stunned, tense silence. A weird, grimacing smile came to my lips.

'_**No Patch had seen a dead newborn. Dying after birth, yes, but not a stillborn.' **_I stumbled a little over a rock protruding from the ground, but I quickly regained my footing. Grass started to appear in small tufts. _**'The Patch had a boy - Neka, his name was, but that's not important - he took me to the Great Spirits. I'm not sure what happened to Neka,' **_I half-lied, remembering my dream when he had been engulfed in flames by Spirit of Fire. No doubt that had killed him. _**'I don't really remember what happened. I'm pretty sure Spirit of Fire was there - remember, though, this was back before Hao ever existed. But all I know is that the Great Spirits blessed me and put a spirit in me… or me in a body.' **_I blinked. _**'That part still confuses me. I'm pretty sure it's the latter.'**_

"Premature?" Faust repeated, as if he hadn't heard anything since then. Figures the doctor would do that.

'_**Yes, Faust,' **_I replied, trying to be patient. Each step took us closer to the Great Spirits, and I had no idea what to expect once we got there. Before I could continue, though, Lyserg spoke up.

"You're… a spirit?"

'_**Aren't we all?' **_I asked sarcastically, looking back at the dowser. However, when I saw the look on Lyserg's face, I slowed to a stop; he had already stopped short.

"Shit, Lyserg!" Chocolove swore as he and HoroHoro had to swerve to avoid hitting the dowser.

"What the hell is it?" Ren asked snappishly, stopping as well along with Faust and Ryu.

Several things were flashing in Lyserg's eyes as he stared at me, but I was nowhere close to deciphering them. "This is how Hao knows about you," he realized. "You're like Hao. You reincarnate. I mean - you _know _of your past lives."

The mood had effectively turned even more intense as everyone waited for me to respond. I unconsciously made a fist but kept it at my side. _**'How do you think I'm here now, Lyserg? I never asked to reincarnate, if that's what you mean,' **_I added. _**'And I'd rather you not group me together with Hao.'**_

Lyserg hesitated - as did most everyone else at the information - but before he could speak, Ren snapped, "We need to move." And soon, we were running again.

'_**My reincarnations barely matter anyway,' **_I continued, wondering what was going through the heads of the others. _**'I'm always mute, and for some reason this is the only life where I've had actual emotions; all I do is wait until I'm reborn into the Patch. Only when I'm Patch do I have my mark, healing, telepathy - and the furyoku to give to the Shaman King.'**_

"Mark?" Faust questioned at the same time Chocolove asked, "Furyoku?" and Ryu said "Emotions?"

"Would you let her speak?" Ren commanded, but if it wasn't my imagination, his voice… changed slightly. But then again, he _had _seen my mark. He probably wanted me to explain it.

'_**I don't know about the whole emotion thing at all, but my mark's on my back,' **_I began, feeling incredibly uncomfortable talking about my greatest physical weakness (and about my emotions, hence why I had quickly hopped off that subject train). _**'I - its major function is to show the Patch which of their children is me…' **_I trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

"…Is that why you always scream if you're hit there?" HoroHoro asked, speaking for the first time since I had started to explain. His voice was quiet, but it was obvious that he felt he had come across an epiphany. A sick epiphany.

I took the time to notice that we had entered a field full of crystal rocks protruding from the ground. _**'Yeah,' **_I replied finally. Quickly, I went on, _**'But that's not a big deal. Anyway, the furyoku is for the Shaman King. Without it, he and the Great Spirits can't unite completely since the Great Spirits are so big. It's actually supposed to hurt both of them…'**_

I trailed off again. However, things got even more awkward when Lyserg asked, "But _how _do you give him furyoku?"

It shouldn't have been that big of a deal to say it. I shouldn't have been getting red in the face. I mean, really, in actuality I was so much older than these guys, but still… _**'…Contact with, er… lips.'**_

Immediately, I _really _wished Lyserg had not asked that question. Not only did everyone - sans Faust, probably - slip up at least a little bit at the mention of that, but Ren grabbed my arm so fast that momentum took me for a spin. Before I could comprehend much, Ren's blade was pressed up against my throat. At once, Nix was at my shoulder, glaring at Ren as if people could die by mere looks.

"What the _fuck _kind of game are you playing at?" he snapped, his golden eyes locked into mine.

"Ren-" HoroHoro began, but he broke himself off when Ren cast a quick glare at him.

I tried not to struggle and to meet Ren's gaze head-on. _**'I'm telling you the truth. I told you, I don't want to lie-'**_

Ren huffed, but somehow I could tell that what he was really thinking about were the implications of my explanation, that what he had thought about becoming the Shaman King wasn't what really happened. That he might have some of the furyoku. That if I was telling him the truth, he could technically be the Shaman King right now. And I knew he didn't want that - he wanted to earn the title, not gain it by chance.

"You've lied all this time," he accused. "You knew everything-"

'_**Do you think I **_**wanted **_**this?' **_I exploded. _**'I came to **_**help **_**you guys, because I can't just sit and watch while Hao could very well be killing you all!'**_

I could see that Ren was slightly trembling in rage. "Why did you lie?" he asked roughly, quietly, putting an odd stress on the first word; and I knew what he was referring to.

'_**Because of my rules,' **_I replied quietly, answering the question for everyone else before I fully addressed Ren and Ren alone._** 'And…I was scared,' **_I admitted, backing down slightly from my earlier anger. I felt ashamed, not only for lying but for bringing Ren into it like this. He didn't deserve this. None of them deserved my lies. _**'I was scared, and I let that control me when I shouldn't have. But what happened happened, and nothing can change that,' **_I finished, nearly mimicking word for word what Nix had told me after we got out of the Gate.

A vein in Ren's head throbbed, and I could see the gears in his brain working as he contemplated what to do with me.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed the hilt of the sword over Ren's hand.

"If you hurt her," HoroHoro began, his voice and face like the ice he controlled, "we don't have a guide, or answers. She saved your life, and I'll be damned before I let you hurt her."

He and Ren glared at each other with unyielding looks. Before either of them could do anything more, Faust suddenly swooped in, grasped me by the shoulders, and plucked me away from Ren's blade. The Tao did nothing in response.

Once at a safe distance, Faust peered at my neck. "Just a nick," he informed me. "Nothing dangerous."

He watched me for a moment, as if he expected me to heal the wound, but I didn't move. I didn't want to heal the wound. I deserved everything that Ren wanted to dish on me. I remembered his bleeding, dying form; me pushing him out of the way of the speeding truck when he clearly didn't need any help; me slapping him; my terrified, half-second kiss with him. I remembered everything… and I realized that if Ren wanted to kill me, I would let him.

Somewhere along the way, the boy whom I had hated with a passion had become someone whose opinion mattered to me nearly more than anyone else's.

Funny how stuff like that happens.

The Tao was standing rigidly, staring at me - glaring. He had pulled away from HoroHoro, probably roughly. His grip on his sword was tight, but the weapon was held at his side.

"We aren't done with this," he warned coldly. "But lead the way. We have to catch up to Yoh."

Knowing that replying with words would do nothing to help, I simply nodded at him, and we all began our trek once again.

"Didn't you say something about Hao not being able to use you?" Lyserg asked a moment later.

'_**Right,' **_I replied, wondering how the hell I was going to get around this. _**'I'll tell you, though; it's not exactly…failsafe. Hao's powerful enough that it might not matter. But we could use it against him somehow, I don't know. But I don't have **_**all **_**the furyoku for the Shaman King anymore.'**_

"How can you not have all the furyoku?" Chocolove asked. At the end of the sentence, he made an odd noise in realization.

The answer was self-explanatory. But hopefully they wouldn't realize the "who" part of the equation - though I didn't know how Ren's earlier actions would help this. _**'I'd rather not talk about it, if you don't mind,' **_I snapped, hoping some bitchiness would keep them off the subject. _**'All that matters is that Hao can't fully use me. When we get there, we have to act like he can. Anything he doesn't know helps us.'**_

No one replied. I didn't look back to see their reactions.

'_**Up ahead are the Pillars of Ilvirakan,' **_I warned a little while later as we rushed through a thicket of woods. I remembered my dream again, where everyone's weapons and blood had been scattered everywhere around the field, and I suppressed a shudder. I wondered, not for the first time, where exactly Yoh was; I hadn't been able to ask the question with all that had been going on. _**'They lead straight to the stairs of the temple of the Great Spirits. When we get there, the Great Spirits' Guardians will come out - one for each of us.'**_

"They can't be much of a match for us," Ryu stated boastingly.

I grimaced. _**'They're not invincible,' **_I conceded, _**'but they're strong - they **_**could **_**end up killing you. They only attack if you attack them, though. We can walk right by them and they won't do a thing.'**_

"But… you said they were guardians," Chocolove said in confusion.

'_**It's a test,' **_I explained. _**'The Guardians are there to test your soul, not your fighting ability. Once you become the Shaman King, fighting doesn't matter anymore. Furyoku level doesn't matter anymore, especially since I give the 'buffer' furyoku. Anyone can fight for survival, but out here you are judged with your soul.'**_

"Then how could Hao be able to get past them?" Lyserg asked, rather angrily. "He wouldn't just walk by them. His soul's…black."

"Oi, be careful how you use that word," Chocolove interjected. The joke was ignored.

'_**The Great Spirits don't see black and white; not really even grey. It's conviction they like. That's the mark of a strong soul. Though I have no doubt Hao cut through his Guardian,' **_I added bitterly.

Right on cue, we emerged from the trees and stepped out into the open field. The image of everyone's weapons lying on the ground flashed in my mind's eye, but I pushed it away. Instead, I focused on what was really there: two incredibly tall pillars, standing guard for the Great Spirits.

"I thought you said there were stairs to the temple were right after the pillars," Ren snapped as we approached.

'_**There's a sort of invisible shield separating us from it,' **_I answered, feeling both meek and slightly angry at Ren's words and trying desperately not to be. _**'We see the illusion of a long path.'**_

Ren scowled, but at that moment we had to stop.

The shield I had mentioned shuddered in a slight multicolored light, and from seemingly nowhere the Guardians emerged, one for each of us. It was hard to make out the details of the Guardians, as they seemed to be made up of light, but their forms were like overlarge eagles.

'_**Show us your souls,' **_they commanded in unison.

HoroHoro gave a start. "Those were the voices we heard when we first got to the village!"

Though I knew that we just had to walk by the Guardians, I felt a little nerve-wracked at the gazes of the birdlike spirits. Hesitantly, I started forward at a jog, and after a moment I heard the footsteps of the others behind me.

"…Those things are creepy,' Chocolove noted nervously.

'…_**A little,' **_I agreed, struggling to keep my eyes off the Guardians.

"You're _sure _they won't attack us?" Ryu asked.

I nodded. _**'Just don't attack them,' **_I reminded them as we neared the Pillars. I looked back up at the Guardians, and when they did nothing, I led everyone through the invisible shield.

Immediately before us was a steep set of stairs leading up to the temple. From here, it was impossible to see what was at the top, nor could I hear or sense anything.

"Do you think they're already ahead of us?" Lyserg asked uncertainly. I noticed how he didn't say either Hao's name or Yoh's name, but indicated the both of them.

"Only one way to find out," HoroHoro murmured as Ren began to rush up the stairs. None of us were far behind the Tao.

()()()()()()

I hesitated only for a split-second before I reached the top of the stairs, remembering - once again - the dream. Sick of thinking so morbidly, I pushed the memory of the dream away and hurried up after the boys, coming up next to them just inside the circle of pillars that marked the temple ground.

And what I saw made me wish for the dream, because at least that wasn't real.

Hao was standing in the middle of the temple ground, holding Yoh up by the boy's hair. Even as I watched, Hao, who had stuck his hand _inside _Yoh's stomach, pulled his hand out; and with it, the image of Yoh's body - Yoh's soul.

And without a second thought, _Hao swallowed it_.

In the next seconds as Yoh's body sagged completely, you could have heard a pin drop. I forgot how to breathe; I forgot what we were supposed to doing. All I could see was Yoh, limp and lifeless as Hao held him like some sort of prize.

"_Yoh!"_

Anna's scream was bloodcurdling, and it caused me to jump. I whirled my head around to see Anna standing at the very top of the stairs, her wide eyes staring at what must've been the worst sight in the world. Something seemed to break within her, and she rushed forward, pushing past me and the other boys.

In response, Hao tossed Yoh's body to the ground before backing up with a relaxed air toward the altar situated in the center of the temple ground. Ignoring him, Anna quickly knelt beside Yoh and rolled him over so that he was on his back; hurriedly, the boys circled around the two, looking down at Yoh as if the world had ended.

With the Great Spirits so close, my senses were too overwhelmed to reach out and prod Yoh - not that I wanted to. That would only enforce what my eyes already knew: that Yoh was still and stiff and lifeless. Dead.

"Yoh-kun…" someone murmured, and I looked down to see that Manta was only a few feet from me, on all fours as he looked at his best friend. "…Is dead…"

Images flashed in my mind of all the millions of times Yoh had grinned and chuckled and taught me about friendship. When he acted like every person was worth something, or just joked or supported any one of us.

_Yoh's face leaned down over the railing and looked directly at me. "I don't think you're a bad person, either."_

"_I'm Yoh. Who are you?"_

_He smiled. "So, how long have you been following us?"_

"_Why don't you come out from under there? It's warm out in the sun."_

"_If you run from the heat it makes it worse! But if you stand up to it, you'll live happily!"_

_He grinned at me, obviously happy for the company. "Ready for a run?"_

"_I don't want you to get hurt. You're sorta…like a sister. A pretty quiet sister, but yeah."_

"_I like your dream. Giving people a voice."_

"_You know, Tori, it's all right to talk about stuff," he said while signing 'I won't tell anyone.'_

"_It'll all work out."_

And I had never told him the truth… and I never said enough how he was, aside from Nix, the best friend I had ever had… If I ever _had _told him that…

My blood was running cold, and when I looked up at Hao it seemed to turn to ice altogether. Though the element of laziness and sleepiness wasn't there as much as it would be on Yoh's, Hao's face was nearly Yoh's face. In that moment, I couldn't understand how one twin could be dead while the other could simply stand there after murdering him. I couldn't understand Hao at all, except that he was the one who took Yoh away.

"He's not really dead," Hao said easily. "Asakura Yoh never existed in the first place. Yoh's soul has now returned to me, where it belongs. That's all there is to it. It's not something to be sad about, is it?"

"Unforgivable…" Ren growled. Before I could comprehend anything else, he was screaming as he stabbed his sword into the ground, sending a line of weapons shooting up out of the earth toward Hao. "_There's no fucking way I'll ever forgive you_!"

A cloud of dust went up, and from inside, Hao spoke. "That offensive anger really suits you, Tao Ren," he complimented. As the dust settled, I could see that Hao had perched atop an offending sword. He was smiling. "As expected from a person I had my eyes on. You're quite different from the others around you."

"You bastard!" Ren growled as the line of oversouled weapons disappeared and Hao easily dropped back down to the earth.

"Don't you fucking look down on us, you bastard!" Ryu snarled as he, HoroHoro, Chocolove, Faust, and Lyserg created giant oversoul. As one, they rushed at Hao, but immediately Spirit of Fire appeared and knocked them all aside with the back of its clawed hand. The oversouls were lost, and everyone fell back onto the ground.

I snapped.

'_**You don't even know what it's like to **_**be **_**sad, do you?' **_I accused, stomping forward, ready to claw out Hao's eyes.

The look Hao shot me was cold and furious, but his voice was measured, albeit frosty. "Watch what you say, _Tori-chan_. Someone might label you a hypocrite."

The words stung, but I didn't stop of my own accord; two large hands grabbed my arms. The grips weren't strong, but enough to keep me still.

"Tori, what the hell are you doing here?" Silva scolded harshly.

"If Hao-" Kalim began to add, but I didn't let him finish.

'_**Let go of me!' **_I snapped, uniting with Nix and raising my body temperature. With hisses of pain, the two Patch priests let go of me.

"It's better to listen to them, Tori-chan," Hao advised. "I would rather only use you if I had to. I don't want you to get hurt in any crossfire."

"Shut the fuck up," Ren snapped. He oversouled his sword into a Bushin and launched himself at Hao, only to be caught at the tip of his weapon by the tip of Spirit of Fire's claw. The spirit flicked him back, and he barely managed to land on his feet. "I am sick and tired of you speaking in riddles," he said, standing up fully. "Say what you mean."

Hao smirked. "I did. And I'm not stupid enough to think that she hasn't told you about herself - out of guilt, of course," he added. He stared directly at me, and suddenly I knew what he was going to say next. The one thing I didn't want to share with the others.

'_**Don't you dare turn the subject away from what you just did to Yoh,' **_I warned, although I had nothing at all to back myself up. I took as threatening a step as I could toward Hao. _**'We can still stop this. I'll support you fully if you win the Shaman Fight, Hao. Here, you'll only be hurt, and the Great Spirits will be, too.' **__And you'll kill everyone else…_

…_Yoh…_

Hao shook his head. "Maybe, Tori-chan. But if I do what you want, you'll only wind up-"

Panic filled me. _**'No!'**_

There was a pause. The air seemed to crackle with the fury the others had for Yoh's murder and their uneasiness about what was happening now. I didn't dare look at the others. I didn't want them to look at me with anger and mistrust again. "What are you talking about?" HoroHoro asked snappishly.

"I see she didn't reveal that part," Hao noted calmly. "Do you all remember a few weeks ago, when the Patch had that half a day off to 'celebrate a holiday'?" he asked, using a different tactic. He smirked. "That was Tori-chan's birthday. Her last birthday before the scheduled end for the Fights."

"What does a birthday have to do with anything?" Chocolove asked confusedly.

I glared at the ground, my hands curled into fists. _**'It's for a Patch ritual,' **_I admitted roughly.

"Do you want me to explain?" Hao offered when I paused. "Or perhaps Silva or Kalim will; they _are _part of this as well."

I snapped my head up to glare at him. _**'You shut up, Hao.' **_I glanced at the others, not even taking in their expressions before I looked away. I was backed into a corner. _**'The ritual is just a tradition. It's to 'prepare' me, even though I don't need it. It's to mark me ready for sacrifice.'**_

Two beats passed.

"What," HoroHoro said. It didn't sound like a question.

"What Tori-chan is saying," Hao explained, "is that the furyoku she gives is her life force as well. The Patch treat her like an animal-"

"_We do not!" _Silva roared, his voice slightly hoarse.

"-and raise her like a pig to slaughter," Hao finished evenly. "Of course, her reincarnations don't stop. The only way to keep _her _alive _now _would be to take the Great Spirits by force. It's just an added bonus, I suppose. I don't want to wait any longer."

Silence reigned.

"You…" Manta began. His voice was understandably still shaking after seeing Yoh… "You only exist to _die_?"

I bit my lip, staring straight at Hao. I hated this pity. I hated being seen as something to save or be sorry for. I wasn't worth it. _**'Yes.'**_

"That's not right," HoroHoro declared suddenly. I shifted my gaze to him to see that the Ainu was looking right at me determinedly, his face set into a frown. "That's not fair."

'_**Nothing's fair,' **_I pointed out, looking back at Hao.

Hao smiled. "How true."

Without warning, a sudden wall of fire burst out from behind him, and before I knew what had happened, he and I were surrounded by a circle of flames. With cries of shock and some pain, Kalim and Silva jumped backward, away from me. The flames were only about chest-high, but they could no doubt go higher at a moment's notice.

"Just a precaution," Hao explained, beginning to walk toward me, holding out his hand from under his poncho. "In case something happens."

I tried to swallow back panic. There had to be something… Hao apparently only wanted to use me if he couldn't take the Great Spirits' compliance. Even though I didn't have all of my furyoku, thanks to that…incident with Ren, Hao was powerful enough that that little blip didn't matter. And Hao wasn't stupid; he would know that, if he was aware of the situation. If Hao used me, there would be no hope at all.

And if he had me here now, after all this talk about how I would undoubtedly die if he used me, he could use me as a bargaining chip.

And that was the turning point in my thought process.

'_**Trust me, Nix,' **_I whispered to my spirit, quickly breaking Hyoi Gattai with him as I ripped my necklace off. Holding the red feather in both of my hands, I oversouled around it, creating a dagger; I pointed its tip straight at my neck.

'_**I'll do it, Hao,' **_I warned, staring straight at his black eyes. _**'And then you'll have to wait another five hundred years.'**_


	59. Suicide Mission

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King, only my own OCs and my copies of volumes 1-8 :P**

_I must say: Shaman King manga outweighs the anime. (T.T Remake it, animators! Remake it like the manga!) Just finished Osorezan Revoir (and I keep listening to people singing Matamune's poem on YouTube, it's so beautiful), and I cried :( I rarely cry when I read unless I'm really into the story. And thus, well... I've been in kind of a funk for the past week. You'll see why. _

_This chapter and the next are very pivotal. So pivotal that I'm currently writing a bonus chapter because of it. No more to be said on that._

_Happy 4th of July everyone! To my fellow Americans: Happy Independence Day. To the English: thanks for voting us off the island. Or, you know, forcing the puritans to convert or leave. Whatever happened. Are my jokes funny, or should I stop? *shrugs* My history may be wrong, anyway XD In any case, to celebrate independence, a chapter! What a coincidence, a theme of these coming chapters are kinda independence if you think about it..._

_Anyway, ENJOY! I'm going to try not to spoil anything, but I've been planning this chapter and the next since the beginning. And boy, is it harder to actually sit here and look at what I wrote than I thought it would be... Gosh, just wait till next chapter._

**Fifty-Eight: Suicide Mission**

Hao frowned, his eyebrows furrowed. "You sure?"

Despite my conviction, my hands trembled. My oversoul dagger was small and shaky, though it felt like a million pounds. I didn't want to go through with the threat. I didn't want to kill myself, even if I would reincarnate. I didn't want to die here, and who knew if suicide would end my reincarnation cycle?

I'd never committed suicide in any life, and I didn't want to now.

I glared at Hao. _**'I'll do it. I will. I won't let you use me to take the Great Spirits, to kill anyone.'**_

"Tori!" Silva called out. I thought I heard footsteps, but there was a sudden _whoosh _of the flames behind me, and I knew the flames had risen. In fact, the entire wall of flames rose so that all I could see in front of me was my oversoul dagger, Hao, Spirit of Fire behind him, and the Great Spirits as they soared upward.

I was trapped in, and the others were kept out.

"Don't do it!" Kalim called above the flames.

"Tori!" HoroHoro cried out desperately. "Tori!"

"Tori-kun!"

I tried to block out the frantic yells; it was hard to, even with the roaring fire around Hao and me. I couldn't make out individual voices anymore - Hao had raised the flames even higher - and I couldn't make out the words. It was getting hard to breathe, and even for me it was too hot, and blistering wind was whirling Hao's poncho and hair around.

"You don't want to, do you?" Hao asked. Somehow, his voice didn't seem to be raised, but I could hear him as clear as a bell. "You want to help those guys, but you don't want to do this to yourself. It's very selfish."

At the moment I could remember ever being more scared. _**'S-selfish?'**_ I repeated dumbly. Shakily.

"Suicide. Probably one of the most selfish acts a human can do," Hao said. He had pulled down his hand to rest under his poncho, but his eyes were still intense. "You're _trying _to be self_less_. You've been selfish all this time with those lies, and now you're trying to make up for it. That makes you selfish."

'_**I'm not trying to make up for it!' **_I snapped, not knowing if what I was saying was the truth or not, at least partially - I could hear the truth in Hao's words. My arms felt like lead. I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to keep them up. _**'I'm doing it because they're my friends, because **_**you're **_**trying to kill everyone! You - you hypocrite!'**_

Hao raised an eyebrow. Before he could speak, the air above the flames was suddenly full of everyone's oversouls, trying to get in over the flames. Some of the boys yelled, but down here, among the crackles and rumbles of the fire, I couldn't make out the words.

Hao looked up. "We're talking here," he called calmly, and the fire suddenly seemed to jump upward. The boys scattered, and Spirit of Fire made a motion, causing the walls to form into an ever-moving dome. It still didn't completely block out the sounds of the others, or those of their nullified attacks on the outside.

"Now," Hao continued, and I quickly looked back at him to see that he had taken a couple of steps forward. "What were you saying? Something about me being a hypocrite along with you?"

Some of my fear manifested into anger. _**'You're selfish! You, making this stupid shaman kingdom! You can't justify genocide!'**_

"You can't justify suicide," Hao easily countered. He took another step forward, and I found myself taking a quick but small step back.

"You might not have to do this, you know," he went on. "The Great Spirits might like me. You never know."

'_**Don't try to talk me out of it,' **_I warned. My body was shaking. _**'It won't work. I'll do it if you don't stop this.'**_

"What would make me stop, Tori-chan?" Hao asked. He took another step forward. "I'm so close. I have my other half-"

'_**Don't talk about Yoh as if he's just a - a **_**thing**_**!' **_I retorted. _**'He was a better person than you ever were!'**_

Hao frowned. "You know, Tori-chan, I'm rethinking this. Maybe I shouldn't try to let you live. At least, not until you see how to really be sad."

Without warning, the dome of flames disappeared, and there was chaos everywhere. But all I was aware of was Spirit of Fire rushing at me, its claws raised, not to kill me, but to wound me enough so that my oversoul disappeared.

In that second, I was so afraid that I didn't think of killing myself right then and there to stop Hao from using me. I was frozen.

Nix, however, wasn't.

I wasn't sure if Nix changed the form of oversoul himself or if he just exited oversoul altogether, but it didn't matter. The next thing I knew, the bird was right in front of me, his magnificent wings spread wide. His back was outward, his front facing me; his dark eyes were shining, but I couldn't read the expression there. My own eyes went wide.

When Spirit of Fire's claws tore through him, he burst into flames that were instantly sucked up into the hand of the greatest fire spirit.

All that was left of him in front of me was a flickering ball of light that would fit into the middle of my palm, no bigger than a golf ball.

'**Nix**_**!'**_

For an instant, I had felt his pain, deep in my chest, but it had disappeared as quickly as it had come. Things seemed to go both too slow and too fast. I reached forward, barely managing to wrap my fingers around the light - the bit of soul - and just when I had it, something batted away Spirit of Fire's hand while HoroHoro charged into my side. Quickly, he pulled me away from the fighting toward Silva, Kalim, Manta, and Yoh's body - someone must have moved him - at the edge of the temple ground; I was just barely aware that Anna and her shikigamis had joined the brawl against Hao.

"What the _hell _was that, Tori?" HoroHoro snapped; his words were harsher than I could ever remember. "What did you think you were doing? That wasn't going to help! Killing yourself - how-" he sputtered. "Do you know how much you _scared _me?"

His face, a mixture of anger and concern and fear, was close to my own as he held my shoulders against one of the temple pillars. Silva and Kalim were to one side, concern evident on their faces. But I barely took in any of that.

Instead, my eyes were on the little ball of soul in my hand. Nix. What was left of him. I didn't understand. I didn't get what had just happened. Nix had been there one moment, and the next he was this… this _thing._ What had happened?

I suddenly felt cold and weak and empty. _Nix… _

My legs turned to jelly, and I crumpled out of HoroHoro's grip to my knees. Startled, HoroHoro jumped back before he, Silva, Kalim, and Manta hovered around me. Ignoring them, I slumped back against the pillar, completely exhausted as I stared at the little ball of soul in my hands.

"…Tori-kun?" Manta asked concernedly.

Numb, I didn't respond.

"Watch her," HoroHoro commanded, hesitating slightly before he hurried back into the fight.

"Tori," Silva said, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Are you all right?"

It was extremely hard to access my telepathy. _**'…N…Nix…'**_

I could only see the phoenix in my mind's eye, spreading his wings out to protect me. And in reality, all I could look at was the little ball of soul in my hand. Other than those things, I couldn't process anything except for that I was cold, weak, and empty.

"Hao's getting away…" Silva murmured angrily; I was unaware if he had even heard me. "He regained control of the shikigamis…!"

Angry shouts reached my ears, and the sounds of explosions and impacts and cries of pain and anger.

"No…" Manta said beside me. "Attacking aimlessly won't work. Saying 'it'll all work out' isn't going to change anything…" He went on, mumbling to himself.

I felt like almost completely comatose. I couldn't think about anything besides Nix, even when I heard Manta's footsteps rushing into the action. People other than Yoh could be dead for all I knew, for all I could care right then.

I would never know how much time passed before the little ball of soul flickered like a candle flame. Sudden fear overtook me, and I instinctively pushed the ball into my chest and united with it.

At once, I didn't feel as cold, weak, or empty anymore. Still, I was completely afraid and concerned.

'_**Nix?' **_I thought urgently, prodding the small bit of spirit inside me. _**'Nix!' **_

There wasn't any reply. I could sense him there, but it was as if he was comatose, unaware of anything happening.

Realizing that I myself had been unaware of anything that had been happening, I looked up to see that Manta was a few feet in front of me, resting on the ground; there was a small smile on his face, as if he had done something good. Something to help.

'_**W-what's going on?' **_I asked Kalim and Silva; the two priests were standing beside me, watching the battle that was taking place in midair before the Great Spirits.

Immediately the two looked down at me. "Are you all right?" Silva asked worriedly. "You weren't responding at-"

'_**I'm fine,' **_I snapped weakly. For now, I had to push away my concern for Nix. There wasn't anything I could do to help him right now, no matter how much I wanted to; no matter how scared I was for him. _**'What's going on?'**_

"Anna's binding Hao with her beads," Kalim supplied, jerking his chin at the scene.

Sure enough, Anna (whom was wearing Yoh's headphones around her neck) was shooting what must've been over a thousand beads toward Hao, whom, along with Spirit of Fire, was being held still by Lyserg's and Ryu's oversouls. The beads circled around Hao, and Lyserg and Ryu let go as Spirit of Fire struggled to move against the power.

…_It's not going to work… _I thought as Anna yelled "Now!"

There was a moment as everyone powered up their greatest attacks. At once, they launched the attacks, but suddenly Spirit of Fire let out an outburst of flames, destroying the beads and causing the attacks to veer off course. The same outburst of fire caused the boys to have their oversouls pushed back so hard that they crashed into the ground.

I turned my head away from the dust, and I saw that I was next to Yoh's body, which was propped up against the pillar in a sitting position. Despair and hopelessness weighed me down. _What should we do, Yoh? We can't win… You're gone, Nix is… _I couldn't finish the thought.

When the dust cleared away, I saw that Ren had fallen nearby. He struggled into a sitting position, a grimace on his face. And suddenly, I was struck with an idea.

'_**Ren,' **_I whispered to the Tao, and to him alone; the telepathy was hard to do, for some reason, and it made my head throb slightly.

In response, Ren looked sharply at me as he stood as if to say What now?

I tried not to wince at his hard eyes. _**'You guys can't beat Hao like this, he's too powerful.' **_I extended my hand toward him. _**'Take my furyoku; get the Great Spirits before he does.'**_

The unsaid message: _Kill me before Hao has a chance to. Before he has a chance to kill us all._

Ren stared at me hard, although I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He was holding his side where I had healed him; had he been injured there again? And what was he thinking?

Finally, he said, "There are still other options." Without any hesitation, he stood up as straight as he could and began to walk back toward the middle of the temple ground.

Before he could go more than a few steps, I snapped, _**'You said you wouldn't hesitate to kill me!'**_

He stopped short and whirled his head around to shoot me a piercing glare. "And I won't kill you if I don't have to. I said I'd kill you if you lied or if it looked like you were on Hao's side. And I'll promise you right now that if it comes down to it, I will kill you. Until then, stand back."

Without another word, he turned and met the others as they staggered back to the middle of the temple ground, sans Anna, whom was on her knees as if she had given up. I couldn't blame her.

I felt a familiar rush of anger at Ren as he and the others began to face off against Hao once more, but it quickly passed. I was too tired to stay mad at the stubborn Tao, too worried to think much about anything other than Nix or the fact that things were going downhill fast. If Ren _did _take the rest of my furyoku, he'd still have to get past Hao. If he did take my furyoku, I wouldn't know if he had succeeded or failed until I was reborn…if I was reborn, lest Hao kill every being on the face of the planet.

Before I could think any other thought, there was a flash of fire, and the boys were knocked back to the ground.

"Do you guys understand yet?" Hao called. "You have no chance of winning!"

"So what?" Ryu spat out weakly, using his wooden sword to steady himself.

"It's a wasted effort," Hao noted loudly.

"God, this guy never shuts up," Chocolove said shakily, struggling to his feet alongside HoroHoro.

"You want to avenge Yoh that badly?" Hao asked, as if he was slightly amused.

"W-what are you talking about?" Faust asked; he was kneeling, holding his side.

"Yoh-kun isn't dead," Lyserg declared weakly.

"Oh, yes," Hao said, as if he were talking to children. "That's right. Yoh's soul just returned to the place where it belongs. Asakura Yoh doesn't exist in this world anymore."

There was a sudden dark laugh, and I looked sharply at Ren. "Enough of your jabbering," the Tao demanded.

"Master is here!" Ryu declared.

"And he's laughing," HoroHoro agreed. "Carelessly."

Chocolove and Lyserg both let out small laughs. All I could do was stare and wonder how they were right.

"He's always here, no matter what," Ren said, glaring at Hao, whom didn't look any bit happy anymore. He looked like he was getting downright pissed. "In our hearts," Ren continued. "He's with us!"

And once again, the boys oversouled and flew toward Hao. Spirit of Fire swiped and shot fire at them, and with each word Hao said, his voice grew louder until he was yelling - and until he stopped short.

There was a momentary lapse in his fight; even Spirit of Fire paused as I saw his form double-over.

"Y-Yoh-kun…"

At Manta's words, I turned, and Great Spirits, did my heart stop for a moment.

Yoh was standing up. He was… alive.

Once up to his full height, he flashed Manta and me a smile before he looked right at Anna, who had turned her head around as well. After a moment, he lifted his hand in greeting. "Yo."

Yoh was alive. _Yoh'saliveYoh'saliveYoh'salive._ He survived Hao swallowing his soul. He came back from the dead. He was _here_.

I felt a pang in my chest. _**'Are you okay, Nix?'**_

Again, there was no response.

Yoh looked up at Hao. "Shall we continue where we left off?"

Coming back into focus, I saw that Anna had come up to Yoh. The Asakura didn't seem to know what to do until Anna put his headphones back on his head and murmured, "Welcome back."

He grinned, albeit slightly unsure. "Y-yeah. I'm back." Without any other words, his oversouled Amidamaru into Spirit of Sword and used his furyoku to launch himself into the air and into the fray.

"How did you come back!" Hao yelled as Spirit of Fire blocked Yoh's oversoul; in spite of the distance he was from me, I could just faintly hear him. Great Spirits, he sounded angry… The fight wore on. I stood, watching; Hao was yelling, so uncharacteristically… Part of me had to wonder how he was feeling.

"_You know, Tori-chan, I'm rethinking this. Maybe I shouldn't try to let you live. At least, not until you see how to really be sad."_

I remembered that when I had told Hao that he didn't know what it was like to be sad, his demeanor had changed. He had become harsher, as if he were trying to cover something up… What exactly had happened to him to make him this way? Sure, he wanted to rid the world of people because they polluted the planet, but that shouldn't be enough to put so much hate in him; he was human himself…

And what about Nix? I put a hand to my chest, where my feather had once rested - where it was now was a mystery to me - as if I could feel the phoenix there. Had Spirit of Fire really… I mean, it had all happened so fast…

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't realize that Spirit of Fire had turned toward the Great Spirits until I felt a sharp pang in my chest. Winded, I stared wide-eyed at Spirit of Fire as it stuck both of its clawed hands into the Great Spirits and tore into it.

The pain wasn't like being hit in my mark; it didn't block me out. I fell to my knees, holding my head and screaming. My voice rasped, almost non-existent; I could hear the Great Spirits screeching in pain. Remembering that Hao should be in pain as well, I listened for anything from him, like a yell, but I didn't hear anything from him.

"Tori-kun!" Manta exclaimed, and I was aware of him and Silva and Kalim crowding around me.

Pained, I looked up to see a golden-colored, even more massive version of Spirit of Fire emerging from the Great Spirits. With ease, he slashed into HoroHoro's, Lyserg's, Faust's, and Ryu's oversouls, sending the four crashing to the ground. Though Ren, Yoh, and Chocolove managed to put up more of a fight, they too were soon on the ground.

More pain surged through me as Spirit of Fire pulled fully out of the Great Spirits. Yoh recovered enough to rush at Hao again, but he was easily blocked. Again and again Yoh attacked Spirit of Fire, but it was useless.

Before I could angst too much over how we were all going to die, someone put a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you all right?" HoroHoro asked concernedly. His voice was rough and shaky, and when I looked at him I saw that his face was covered in bloody scratches and newly-forming bruises.

After all that had happened, I didn't know how I still had tears to cry any more, but I did. I hurt. The Great Spirits were being hurt, manipulated. I didn't want to die. I didn't want the others to die. I didn't want Hao to be doing this. I wanted Nix back.

'_**Nix, please…'**_ I thought toward the bit of soul in me. As before, there was no reply whatsoever.

HoroHoro hesitated before he hugged me against his chest, careful not to let his arms touch the small of my back. At this point, I didn't care what he felt toward me. All I wanted was _someone_.

"Don't worry," the Ainu whispered. "There's still hope. And I won't let Hao come anywhere near you. I won't let anything happen to you."

'…_**After everything I've done?' **_I asked, trying to stop my tears. All I could see in front of me was the blue blur of HoroHoro's jacket; all I could hear were the sounds of battle.

HoroHoro was already tense, but I could feel his muscles tighten even more. "It can't all have been a lie. I mean, I understand why you did it, but… you still cared, didn't you?"

He sounded unsure, as if he didn't fully forgive me, not that he ever really said he did. I didn't blame him.

I nodded, but I pulled away from him and sat with my knees bent beneath me. I wiped at my eyes and then stared straight at everyone. Though HoroHoro only looked hesitatingly away from me, everyone else was watching the fight between Hao and Yoh, waiting to see who would win.

Aside from Nix, I didn't want to die with anyone else. I didn't want to live with anyone else. These were my friends, and I loved each and every one of them like a family member. I didn't want to say it just then, lest they all say that I didn't believe in Yoh enough and that I was just saying it because I thought we were all going to die, but I was so sorry.

I turned my head back toward the fight and saw Spirit of Fire's golden hand clasp around Yoh.

"Nothing will go against my plans," Hao said; his voice echoed around the temple ground, aided by the power of the Great Spirits. I couldn't hear any sort of strain in his voice, and for a moment it confused me. Shouldn't he be in at least some sort of pain?

I wished I could hear Yoh. I wanted to know what he was saying.

"I was right," Hao interrupted, "because I was able to obtain the Great Spirits. I am the representative of nature. You are an eyesore."

Spirit of Fire squeezed Yoh before throwing him down toward the ground. When he landed, a cloud of dust and rocks flew into the air.

Screams of _"Yoh!" _came out of every single mouth, but when the dust settled, Yoh was standing up, seemingly unharmed from the fall; Amidamaru must have cushioned the blow.

Before I could relax in the fact that Yoh was all right, he was suddenly caught in a pillar of fire. Through the flames, I could just barely see him standing, holding his oversoul over his head to protect himself against the onslaught. With each second that passed, the flames seemed to grow stronger.

"I won't allow it…"

Startled, I looked to see that Ren was pushing himself up with his sword; he was glaring fiercely at the sight before him. "I won't allow you to lose, Yoh!" he yelled. As he did, I could have sworn that I saw a faint light coming off from him.

He was sending his furyoku to Yoh.

"_Yoh_!" HoroHoro yelled, rushing to his feet and following Ren's example.

One by one, the others also sprung to their feet, calling out encouragement and doing their best to send Yoh furyoku. I struggled to my feet as well, clasping my hands together as if I were praying. And I was.

There was a long moment, and a surge of power suddenly dissipated the flames. When the light faded, a new, giant form of Amidamaru - nearly as big as Spirit of Fire - rose into the air to meet Hao.

What happened next became a blur in my memory. The twins exchanged words and blows, but all I was truly aware of was that Yoh and Amidamaru sent a vertical slash, straight down Hao's middle.

There was suddenly explosions and light - bright, white light. It washed over me, and I suddenly felt myself fading into unconsciousness. The last thing I could remember seeing was the far-off silhouette of Spirit of Fire, and I could have sworn it was cradling something in its arms before its form swirled and disappeared.


	60. Nix

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King.**

_I'm going to put notes on the chapter at the bottom. I don't want to spoil it._

_Any stories to share? Well, for the past few days (I can't count, it's been a blur) I've been reading Harry Potter. I'm stuck on book five... I'm just stuck. I don't have to read on, anyways, I'm more familiar with the later books... But I'm going to cry tomorrow; I'm going to see the midnight premier (gonna try and dress up like Professor Trelawny and run around and screech "IT WILL HAPPEN TONIGHT!"). I'm so sad - Harry Potter is a beautiful story. Snape...Snape...Severus Snape... *Snuffles* (hehe see the jokes? I have to keep myself going... I need some Weaslys' Wizard Wheezes...)_

**Fifty-Nine: Nix**

When I was next aware of myself, I was surrounded by a creamy white light. I felt safe, secure, and comforted - something I wasn't used to feeling lately. But when I tried to remember how I had felt what felt like mere minutes ago, the details were fuzzy; for some reason, I could remember _being _scared, but the memory seemed distant and muted. It was as if this place didn't allow those kinds of troubling thoughts.

Disoriented, I sat up, realizing that I was wearing a long, flowing white dress, and absolutely nothing else. I felt like I was in a hospital gown or something like that, without the feeling of being far too exposed. I was also clean and free of wounds and scars; it kind of looked like I had just come out of a beauty parlor. In confusion, I scratched my head, only to realize that my hair was back in a ponytail - hadn't I lost my hair ribbon back at the Gate of Babylon?

"Good, you're up."

I was startled, but I didn't jump; I only looked to notice that someone was sitting next to me, his body facing the opposite way as he leaned back on his hands. I didn't wonder if he had always been there, or if he had just gotten there; instead, his identity was more pressing.

"Neka?" I asked, confused. It didn't occur to me that I was using my mouth to form words.

The boy smiled. His clothing was the same solid color as mine, although it was a lot like the traditional Patch robes. Even his headband was white. "Hello, Catori."

I blinked several times, puzzled. "Where are we?"

Neka shrugged. "Doctors would say your subconscious. Others call it the in-between."

I had never been to this "in-between." Sure, I knew about it; I was pretty sure that lots of comatose people went their while their bodies decided on whether to live or die. I'd never really experienced it like this before - in past lives, if I died slowly, I didn't see this white place. "Why?" I asked. For some reason, I wasn't that concerned that I could very well be dying.

This was where Neka seemed to deflate a little. "You see, Catori," he said slowly, "it's time to explain a few things."

"That would really help," I agreed; it came out a little more sarcastically than I had meant.

Neka winced very slightly. "Yeah."

I didn't know if his pause was intentional or not, but I decided to spur him on. "How did I get here?"

Neka brushed a strand of his short, black hair out of his dark eyes. "You've lost a lot of furyoku over the past year. It's kinda like making a crack in a dam. Ever since…" He hesitated. "Ever since _Ren_, you lost that bit of your 'buffer' furyoku, and then you began to leak your usable furyoku in unnoticeable amounts that steadily leaked faster and faster. That's why you lost the furyoku boost from the Chou Senji Ryakketsu. With every oversoul you made, you lost a little more, unable to regain it even after resting. Healing Ren especially made it deplete faster. By the time you made your dagger, that was the last usable furyoku you had; and then you had to rely on the 'buffer' furyoku to live, and that's not meant to live on. And then…"

Though it was a little much, I was following so far. "Then what?" I prompted, wanting to know more.

Neka let out a small sigh. "You see, if this was all that had happened…you probably wouldn't be speaking to me right now. Even if you had managed to kill yourself - which I think was a stupid move, by the way, even though I can't deem your thought process _wrong _- you would have reincarnated. But you see…" He paused, as if wondering how to approach the subject. His dark eyes grew pained, and I saw his throat move as he swallowed.

I grew apprehensive. "What…?"

Slowly, his eyes met mine. "There's a lot you don't know," he whispered.

I didn't know what my emotion was - it seemed as if they had all been mixed together in some heap of a mess so I didn't know how to react. His eyes… "N-Nix?"

Neka smiled sadly. "Yes?" he replied, his voice the same as it always was when I wanted to broach a topic with him.

Hesitantly, I reached out and touched Neka's short hair. It felt as feathery as it looked.

"G-Great Spirits…" I managed to say. "Nix…"

I suddenly tackled Neka in a hug. With only a moment's hesitation, he hugged me back.

"I thought - I didn't know - What happened?" I sputtered, only moving back far enough to look him in the eye. This was my Nix… I hadn't known if he was all right after he had shielded me. I had been so worried…

Neka still had the same sad smile on his face. "You know, after all the time I've been with you, I could never think up a good way to tell you everything."

His words seemed slightly ominous, and suddenly I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear what he had to say. But still, I knew that there wasn't any way that he wasn't going to tell me, so I decided to help him out. "What about what the Great Spirits said - _how, why, _and _who_."

Though his expression didn't change, he seemed a little more at ease with the help. "Those questions actually lead back to the same person. I guess I'll start at the beginning…"

Before continuing, he pulled completely out of my grip. For a moment, I felt dejected, but something told me not to reach out for him, and I instead pulled back as well to just sit and watch him.

"Namas went into labor early, and you were born still…" he began before shaking his head, seemingly angry at himself. "You know that, though. But… Namas had a tough time. She was dying, but she prayed for you - she wanted you to know what it was like to live, what emotions came with it, like love - even sadness. She especially wanted someone to love you in spite of…difficulties. She was always a dreamer like that.

"Because of my own dreams, I knew I had a destiny, and when I heard that you were born still, I asked my mother what happened," Neka went on. "Namas was my mother's adopted sister; my mother told me about the prayer. I have to admit… I didn't think much about _you _- I mean, I wondered about you, since no one had seen a dead newborn. I was more concerned with Namas's prayer - I thought I might be able to help somehow. So, with permission, I took you to the Great Spirits.

"When I finally got to the Pillars, a Guardian came out for me." Neka let out a small huff, resembling a laugh in momentary remembrance. "I didn't know what to do. But the Guardian said something strange. Instead of the usual 'show us your soul,' it said 'we see your soul.' And then it asked me if I could accept the task of what I had set out to do. And then it left."

I blinked. "It just…left?"

Neka looked at me quizzically, and I realized that he was probably wondering how I could be asking this and not about Namas - but the look soon faded. I had never felt anything toward my original mother. Of course he knew that.

Neka looked away at nothing in particular and continued. "I met Spirit of Fire - it was acting for the Great Spirits. It told me that in order to fulfill Namas's prayer - especially that - and for you to be given life, I had to die and be given a spirit form to protect you." The boy closed his eyes for a moment. "I didn't know what I was getting into. I didn't realize long it was going to take - though in the end, if I had known, I think I still would've agreed. I didn't…" He paused and looked at me. "I didn't realize that I was going to care about you so much."

I stared back at Neka, not knowing how to react, so I simply waited for him to continue.

Neka looked down at his lap; despite the headband, his hair obscured his eyes slightly. "I agreed, so Spirit of Fire burned my body away - he actually took my life force and gave it to your body so that when they put you, the soul, into it, you would actually _live _in it. Spirit of Fire gave me the form of a phoenix - a fire bird. It fit with my family's old guardian spirit, the robin. Red feathers and all - I used to have one around my neck, like you did. Eventually the spirit changed to an eagle, like what Silva has now."

I didn't really hear the last few sentences. I remembered how Spirit of Fire had easily cut through Nix; how Nix's flames had been sucked up into Spirit of Fire's hand to leave behind the tiny ball of soul, which must've been the last remnants left of Neka. Spirit of Fire had essentially made Nix, and in the end had destroyed him as well.

I tried not to think about that and instead asked, "But what about those questions?"

I didn't have to specify the words. Neka looked back at me. "How you're here: Namas birthed you. Why you're here: Namas prayed for you. Who you are: Namas's daughter." He paused to let it sink in, and then threw in the information bomb. "Namas's prayer means that you're indebted to her, not the Great Spirits."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

Neka smiled sadly once more. "You see, all children are indebted to their parents. But she prayed with all her heart in her last moments, not for herself, but for you."

I put a hand to my temples, overloaded. "She… she's the reason for everything? She's why I'm this way?"

Neka nodded. "Yes." When I didn't respond for a while, he continued. "Your mark is to indicate who you are among the Patch; its shape comes from your family mark - it died out long ago…"

He trailed off, realizing that talking wasn't going to help.

Everything I had thought was a lie - talk about getting a taste of my own medicine. Nix had really been Neka, my original mother was who I was really indebted to, and this entire time… "You knew everything, and never told me?"

I knew that I would never forget the melancholy look on Neka's face. "I couldn't. I wanted to. _I wanted to_. Great Spirits, Catori, if I could have kept you from all the terrible things that have happened, I would have in a heartbeat. But I promised that I would help you experience those things…"

Realization struck me. "That's why you didn't help me when Faust was torturing Manta. Because you promised."

Neka flinched as if I had raised my hand to strike him. It was so unlike what I was used to when he was Nix that I paused, wondering just how different Neka had made himself to protect me and guide me along. I wondered if this was what HoroHoro and the others had thought when I told them who I was.

"Just how different are you?" I whispered. Knowing the question wasn't that clear, I added, "How much did you lie?"

Neka sighed. "Other than what I had to do, I tried not to lie about anything else. I had to hide everything from you, but not really my personality. But all those years… they made me more harsh and strict. People and spirits change."

He didn't need to specify anything else. All those generations of me being emotionless, of me just simply waiting. They tried him. They made him cynical - they made _us _cynical.

"It's not your fault," Neka said quickly, seeing my expression. "Don't blame yourself. I chose what I was going to do."

I didn't want to talk about this anymore. "It must've been weird," I said, wiping my eye. "Lying to someone who was lying. Lies just keep making up more lies."

Neka turned his head upward. "Isn't that true," he murmured.

I looked up, too; this entire place was just unending whiteness. I fell backward, laying my arms out to either side of my body. There was nothing to do in this place but think and talk and wait. Well, let Neka's other truths come to me. I wanted to take them, absorb them, and learn them. I didn't want to lie, and I didn't want to be lied to anymore. I didn't want to betray, and I didn't want to be betrayed. I wanted to know.

Neka was Nix. Nix was Neka. No matter what, even if he had lied, I loved him more than anything else - he was my companion. A mixture of an older brother and a father. A friend. _My _friend. Maybe he hadn't become my companion for _me_, but the past couldn't be changed.

"I forgive you."

Neka didn't say anything in response, though I think he did make a sound. I didn't turn to look at him. Though I felt connected to him here, I couldn't pick up a single thought from him, or any emotions for that matter. Maybe it was because of Spirit of Fire.

"Can you tell me about my emotions?" I asked, still staring upwards.

A heartbeat passed. "Yes. Namas wanted someone to love you despite differences, and to do anything they could for you. That's actually… actually why you keep reincarnating, and why you were given the 'buffer' furyoku - which…" He sighed. "That furyoku is actually just a waste of space. It doesn't do anything. You see, Namas was a bit of a hopeless romantic: she was always dreaming of something or another, kind of like how people dream of a knight in shining armor - not that I would know or remember how she acted," he added, slightly bitterly. "She wanted someone like that for you, someone who would choose you over power - though for the Shaman King, that wouldn't matter afterwards."

"So I wasn't needed at all?" I clarified in a whisper. It made sense now, why Hao didn't seem to have been hurt when he united with the Great Spirits, even though my senses connected me to the celestial being had caused me to be in pain. He hadn't needed me.

"No, you weren't," Neka replied, nearly equally quiet. "If someone saved you instead of killed you, you would be free of reincarnations, your duty - everything, and you'd be free to live out the rest of your current life… It was Tai. As your brother, he loved you. He tried to push you out of the way of the car - he tried to save you. But he wasn't the Shaman King, and you didn't have the furyoku."

"…I see," I murmured. The fact that Tai had _tried _to save me was why I had emotions. Great Spirits, I would never stop feeling guilty, would I?

Something suddenly seemed to hit me. "Hao didn't use me," I said quickly, my eyes widening as I sat up and stared at Neka. "Does that mean I'm…?"

"He didn't use you," Neka agreed, looking slightly uncomfortable. "And you _are _free - which is also why we're here now; your body is going through the process of expelling all the things you don't… need anymore, like your telepathy and the mark, and the restrain on the control over your voice. But Catori," Neka went on, slowing his words down, "Hao's not the one to thank."

Confused, I tipped my head. "Why?" I asked, my voice coming out more quickly and harshly than I intended.

Neka's face was neutral. "Because Ren already had some of the furyoku. And he didn't kill you for the rest of it."

I froze, realizing the truth in Neka's words, remembering Ren's words.

"_And I won't kill you if I don't have to. I said I'd kill you if you lied or if it looked like you were on Hao's side. And I'll promise you right now that if it comes down to it, I will kill you. Until then, stand back."_

Somehow, the shock and all the other unintelligible emotions made me bark a small laugh at the irony. Ren had initially wanted to kill me, and he had ended up keeping me alive. Freeing me.

It was over.

"I guess I owe him, huh?" I asked. Suddenly, it all sunk in fast, and I fell on my back again with my arms out, looking up with what must've been a crazy grin. I started to giggle. I was free. No more need to lie and hide things. No more pain from the mark - no more mark at _all_. No more telepathy - I would be able to _talk_, on my _own_. I wondered if it would be hard to do - I'd never done it on my own. Lately I had been so cynical, but now I was starting to hope; I knew it would take a lot of work if I wanted to patch things up correctly with the others, but at least now I could have a future with them. And though at the end of it all I was afraid to die, I would be satisfied. I would finally be able to rest until I completely forgot my form in the Great Spirits, and then be reincarnated as something that _didn't _remember it all.

"Great Spirits," I said finally, still incredibly giddy. I felt like I was drunk. "I really have to thank Ren." I wondered how the Tao would react to my gratitude. No doubt he was still distrusting of me, but that didn't matter right now. I had an entire lifetime to make it up to him and the others.

"You do," Neka agreed, albeit perhaps reluctantly. Of course he had never really liked Ren - at all. "Thanks to him you'll have seventy years. And you'd better use those years. Live those years."

"You know what?" I continued, continuing on my rush of happiness. "We can do anything we want." I sighed happily. "Nix - actually, does it matter what I call you? I mean, since Spirit of Fire…you're stuck in that form?"

"…I am. Call me whatever you want."

"Well," I said, thinking for a second. "Maybe I'll call you both. But Nix, you and I will finally… You and I should just go off together for a while. You deserve a vacation."

"I guess," Neka replied.

"Somewhere warm," I continued. "Well… we don't have a whole lot of money, but if I rest enough and get back enough furyoku, we can fly there. So where: Bermuda? The Bahamas?" I giggled again. "The Sahara?"

Neka sighed. "You're acting like a child," he scolded.

"I can't help it," I said, sitting up again. "I feel so…happy. I can't remember the last time I felt really happy like this."

Neka let out a small chuckle, but otherwise didn't say anything.

My curiosity overtook me. Or, rather, my impatience. "How long do we have to wait here?"

I couldn't help but notice that Neka frowned slightly. "It can't be too much longer. You were really exhausted of furyoku. For a little while…you were almost dead, because there was no furyoku left. But they gave you furyoku like Faust did to Ren. Without the 'buffer' furyoku, you shouldn't lose furyoku like you used to. The only reason you haven't woken up yet is that your body has to get used to being…normal. Given enough time, you should regenerate some of the normal furyoku you lost. Not all of it, but enough."

"Not that I had that much in the first place," I joked.

Neka just stared at me.

I suddenly felt my happiness start to ebb in the wake of apprehension. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied, shrugging and looking away. But I had seen his eyes.

"What is it?" I asked, my blood beginning to turn to ice.

Quickly but gently, as if he couldn't help himself, Neka grasped the sides of my face with both of his hands, holding me so that I had nowhere else to look but at his dark eyes. They were shining with unshed tears.

For the first time in this in-between place, fear struck my stomach like a bullet. "You're scaring me," I whispered, wondering how the atmosphere had changed in the blink of an eye.

"Those seventy years," he murmured. "_Live _them." He swallowed, and I could feel his hands start to tremble.

I felt as if I had been ducked in a bucket of ice. "W-what… Don't talk like this."

"I'm done, Catori," he whispered.

Now a punch to the gut. "N-no," I stammered.

"I was only supposed to protect you until this far, for Namas," he explained hurriedly, brushing my cheek with a twitching thumb. He hesitated, and then kissed my forehead so quickly that for a moment I couldn't be sure if he had done it. His voice cracked slightly. "I'm going to miss you so much."

My heart jumped into my throat. "No," I croaked. "I don't…" _I don't want you to…_

"I'd stay if I could," he said, even though I didn't need to hear those words to know that. "But I'm fading. When you wake up I won't be here. I've already forgotten my form; you just see me this way because you saw me in that dream. Even the itako won't be able to get me."

"B-but," I stammered, already seeing the edges of Neka's form beginning to disappear. The white landscape was starting to fade into blackness. But still, I denied. "No… Stop kidding around, Nix."

"Listen to me, Catori," Neka demanded. "I don't want you to waste away with grief. I want you to live and laugh and move on. Namas wanted you to live, and I do, too."

"Nix…" I could feel the loss of pressure on my face; his hands were fading, as were his arms. "I-I can't live without you!"

He shook his head. "You don't need me anymore, Catori."

"I do! I-" I broke off, trying not to cry. "I'll never see you again…"

"One day we will, I promise. It might not be for a long time, but I know we will. One of us will find the other." He paused, regarding me with a look that would be burned into my memory forever. "I lo-"

()()()()()()

"_Nix_!"

I was aware of springing upward into a sitting position, and of multiple quiet voices stopping mid-sentence.

_I can stop him from leaving, _I thought as I scrambled out of whatever I was in - I vaguely recognized it as a bed - and skittered toward the door. Anyone else in the room might have been too shocked the stop me, but before I could make it out someone stood in my way. Hysterically, I tried to move past the person, but he grabbed my wrists to keep me from moving. Somehow I knew it wasn't Nix or Neka or whatever I had decided to call him. It would never be him.

"What is going on?" I heard Ren ask seriously and loudly over my sobs.

"N-Nix," I hiccupped.

"Catori?" my mother asked anxiously. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I immediately switched from Ren to her. "Catori, honey, what happened?"

"N-Nix," I repeated, my voice quavering as I tried to control it enough to speak. "H-he's…gone."

* * *

_A/N ...Putting this down here. Didn't want to spoil anything. Well. This chapter... Two days after I wrote it, I cried. I'm a witch. Nix is actually my favorite OC for this story. Originally, he wasn't going to be that important - I find that it's really easy to do that with a spirit partner. Not to be critical, but most stories with OCs that I've read don't put that much emphasis on the spirits - and I understand, I mean, they're dead, and they're easy to see as just a part of the live person they serve (I've done it too, with my noob SK work... I will not say the name...). I think spirits are more than that, though. Even though I haven't read that far in the manga, I know the gist of Kororo. I really like that, having characters you think are minor-ish but are really very important (Neville, for example, in Harry Potter)._

_Anyway, here we finally see that Tori, the liar, has been lied to! And Nix is - WAS - Neka. And Nix/Neka is gone, and in reality we see that we really knew nothing about him. In the case of Namas, I find this very important: we are all indebted to our parents, in my opinion, even if we don't get along with them or know them at all._

_In any case, if you don't understand, just drop a question in a review or PM. And next chapter will be a bonus chapter, all about Nix. See you then!_


	61. BONUS: Neka Alone

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. Only my own OCs.**

_What to say. Well, this chapter is a bonus, you see, all about Nix. Most of it was written totally off the top of my head, so if there are typos or whatever, my bad. To those who asked, I'm not sure how many chapters there are that are left. More than three, at the very least, and just because I never wanna say goodbye to this story I'm planning to write an AU afterword thingy that you'll understand when I upload. Don't ask, I don't even know that much XD_

_Anyway, the reviews were all sad, which was what I was going for XD But yeah, Nix died. Anyway, some of you were saying how Nix and Tori were a "cute couple." Not to chastise you guys or anything - anyone's free to ship whoever they want, I don't care - but I just wanted to make it clear that Tori never loved Nix in a romantic way, only in a totally committed way. Though I did indulge a bit and have Nix have a long goodbye (I just have to have important characters have those "last words"...), he felt the same way, though possibly even more so. Just wanted to point that out._

_I wanted to show the "growing up" of Neka, here, hence why over half of it is of him and then it goes to "Nix." Next chapter, we'll go back to Tori and see how she's holding up. (Actually, part of me thinks I just wrote this chapter to give me more time to plan the next ones...Hm...)_

**Bonus: Neka Alone**

Though Neka had matured very nicely by his fifteenth year, he was a little saddened at the fact that he didn't look too much like his father, Shoneah. Instead of having a slightly long face, Neka had a bit more of a rounded face, much like his mother, Chenoa. He tried to not be too affected by it - it was just simply the way things had turned out - but Neka's father was his hero. Neka prided himself on the fact that one day he would succeed his father's place as part of the ten priests, even if he was a little nervous about eventually filling such a role.

"Don't worry about it," his mother often told him as she nestled Toshawa, her toddler child and Neka's only sibling, on her hip. "Worrying got your father his silver hairs. Your hair is too handsome to become silver at your age."

Neka would always duck his head a little as the mention of his hair. Though it was long and black like the rest of his people, it was uncharacteristically much softer and rather feather-like. Embarrassed by the awed attention it got him (especially by girls, whom he often got tongue-tied around), he kept it in a right braid and only let it loose when he washed. He kept his bangs and loose hair out of his dark eyes with a Patch headband.

Though Neka wasn't quite as social as the other kids his age, he would sometimes draw a crowd of girls if they noticed him helping out his mother (something that he did a lot) by carting around and taking care of Toshawa. Seeing how family-oriented Neka was - unlike most of the other boys around his age - seemed to be something that every sensible girl was hard-wired to notice. Though Neka was a bit more private than others, he secretly reveled at the attention. What he didn't quite like was that this attention caused most of his past friends to ignore him in envy. Being the son of a priest didn't help too much in that last aspect either, though Neka didn't mind too much; he would never ever feel anything but love for his family. There was one girl, though, that really captured Neka's attention: Nayeli. Much like him, she was quiet and especially family-oriented, but Neka saw that there was a certain confidence about her - for one, she had a lot easier time speaking to the opposite gender than he did, and she didn't follow him around like some of the other girls. She was pretty, but not in a flaunting way; her light brown eyes had a certain sparkle, and her smile made him blush furiously.

On one day that he was watching Toshawa, he accompanied his mother to her sister Namas's home. Chenoa and Namas weren't actually blood sisters (Namas's parents had perished in a fire when she was young and had been adopted by Chenoa's now late parents), but they may as well have been by the way they acted; their relationship consisted of petty squabbles and loud arguments, hugs and apologies, and a loyalty so deep it went to the soul.

Despite these things, Neka wasn't the closest to his aunt, though Toshawa seemed to adore her. Currently the toddler was babbling incoherent, happy things as he tottered around Namas's house on his stubby legs. Neka kept one eye on the boy as his mother and Namas embraced happily, as if they hadn't seen each other in years (although at most it had been a few days). Namas's husband Tokori emerged from his room, coughing a little as he herded Toshawa back into the main room.

"I see you all are back," Tokori greeted in mock disdain, going to stand over by his wife. "Shoneah with the other priests again?"

"Yes," Chenoa supplied. "He said to say hello. What did you want to talk about?"

As the adults talked, Neka ushered Toshawa over and picked up the toddler. Though Neka was always polite and respectful to his elders, all the talking they usually did made him incredibly bored. He wanted to get going on a walk soon, before it was time to go to that night's bonfire to celebrate the Great Spirits once again.

Belatedly, he noticed that Namas seemed to be bubbling and bursting at the seams with happiness. "Chenoa," she began excitedly, "I'm a month pregnant!"

The screams of enthusiasm were seared into Neka's eardrums, and he winced as Chenoa, acting not much like her usual self, jumped around with Namas. Neka saw Tokori wince a little as well, and the two shared a helpless expression as the mother and soon-to-be-mother started jabbering about baby clothes and other topics that really only mothers were interested in. Neka couldn't help but break out into a smile, though, happy for his aunt. The next few minutes passed by in a blur until Toshawa started to cry at all the noise.

Chenoa was instantly at the boy's side, Namas not far behind. Chenoa took Toshawa out of Neka's arms and bounced the boy a bit to try and calm him.

"Hey, Toshawa," Namas cooed, taking the small boy's hand and putting it over her stomach, which Neka thought might have had the smallest bulge (he may have seen his mother pregnant, but he was obviously no expert). "Meet your cousin!"

"They aren't related," Chenoa pointed out. Everyone in the tribe remembered that Chenoa and Namas weren't blood sisters - aside from Namas.

Namas grinned. "If the baby's a girl, Toshawa, maybe you'll end up married."

Neka laughed along with the adults as Toshawa looked innocently at Namas's stomach. Neka couldn't help but grin again, and silently wished his young brother luck with girls in the future. Who knew, maybe Toshawa and Namas's baby would be married someday. Only time would tell.

Namas turned her ecstatic grin to Neka. "Wanna say hi to your future sister-in-law?"

"It could be a boy, you know," Tokori pointed out indignantly as Neka slightly awkwardly placed his hand on Namas's stomach, wondering a little about the tiny life inside.

()()()()()()

"Hi, Neka."

It was the same night that Namas had announced her pregnancy to her family. Neka blinked at the voice, and turned to see that Nayeli had come up behind him at the bonfire. Neka's heartbeat had begun to slow down after the traditional dancing around the fire, but he could feel it beginning to quicken again at the same time that his cheeks grew warm. He prayed his face paint would obscure any noticeable blush.

"H-hi," he stammered back, berating himself for sounding so stupid and shy.

Nayeli smiled. "I heard Namas is pregnant. Are you going to have to help after the baby's born?"

Neka smiled back, feeling his hands growing sweaty. "Prob'ly. T-they're already planning - if it's a girl - for its wedding to Tosh."

Nayeli laughed and clasped her hands behind her back in her trademark way. Neka's hormones couldn't help but point out to him her gentle curves, which were disguised under her slightly overlarge dress - a hand-me-down from her older sister. "That's adorable. But what if it's a boy?"

Neka nearly jumped when her voice startled him out of his thoughts, but he managed to hold himself together. "U-uh, I don't know," he stammered, nervously fiddling with the robin feather charm around his neck.

Fortunately, before Neka could _really _make a fool of himself, Shoneah came over and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Anang is going to call all the boys your age to dance around the fire. Better go line up."

"Oh, I guess I'll talk to you afterward," Nayeli said cheerfully, giving Neka another smile and a small wave before going off to Namas, probably to congratulate her. Neka watched her leave, disappointment dropping in his belly like a stone. Well, at least he'd get to talk to her later…if he could control his speech.

Shoneah laughed heartily, startling him. "Nayeli is quite the young woman, isn't she?" he commented, nudging his son teasingly.

Neka reddened. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered. Quickly he added, "I need to go line up."

Once the drums started up again, Neka relaxed and forgot about the world for a little bit. He liked dancing around the bonfire; though everyone's eyes were on him and the other boys, he could imagine that they weren't there. He could spin and jump and swing around and he felt like he was alone.

A sudden voice called out in the middle of the dance, and he looked up to see Nayeli waving her arms to get his attention.

Though he felt both pleased and embarrassed, annoyance swept through him. Why was she trying to interrupt? Dances weren't interrupted unless something crucial was happening.

"Neka!" she called again waving one hand while using the other to point to her own head.

_What? _he thought, both irritated and worried. What was she doing?

"Neka!" she yelled. "Your hair! It's on fire!"

Neka froze, confused, and was bumped into by another boy. Several drummers stopped, and voices started to rise in alarm and puzzlement. Someone suddenly grabbed Neka and started dragging him through the crowd toward the lake, and it was then that Neka suddenly felt heat at the back of his neck and back, through his robes. Panic overtook him, and he struggled to get away from whoever had him so that he could try to beat out the flames himself, but the person's grip was too strong. Just when Neka thought he was about to die from fear, the person threw him into the lake, and Neka floundered as his hair and clothes were extinguished of the flames.

"Are you all right?" Tokori coughed, pulling Neka back toward the shallows.

"Y-yeah," Neka stammered, still rushing off adrenaline. Hesitantly, he put a hand to the back of his head, feeling his soggy, burnt hair - and when he pulled his hand back, most of his braid fell easily off.

()()()()()()

His mother was forced to cut off his burnt hair - which was quite a bit. It left Neka feeling bald, even though he wasn't; he still had bangs, and the rest of his hair reached the back of his neck. He felt lighter, and it felt wrong. It took him ages to fall asleep that night, but when he did, he dreamed of flames, and voices that he just couldn't decipher…

At first he thought it was just because of the traumatic experience of nearly losing his life. Besides, he'd started having odd dreams about a month ago, though he couldn't remember those ones when he woke up. The dreams took a backseat to his embarrassment, though; everywhere he went, be it his own home or in more public places like the village square, he was stared at. Long hair was worn by everyone in the Patch - unless a close family member died, and one would cut their hair shoulder-length in mourning - and to see such short hair was unusual to say the least. Though he never did it, sometimes Neka wanted to beg his mother not to send him out get food or goods from the other villagers.

Though the girls his age expressed their concern, soon they lost interest in him. Neka felt slightly saddened by this, but mostly he felt relief that they weren't going to stare at him all day long anymore. Nayeli, however, had other plans.

"Hello, Neka."

"Hi, Neka."

"Hey, Neka."

Every time he passed by her home, she seemed to be there, hanging up clothes to dry or weaving something or another or shucking corn. Of course she was concerned about him, but once the shock had faded, all she did was keep up conversation with him and stay friendly. At first, Neka would be nearly paralyzed with fear and would try to get away as fast as possible, but as the weeks went on, he eventually became able to have full conversations with Nayeli. Granted, they didn't talk about deep topics, and sooner or later Neka's nervousness would get the better of him and he'd leave, but it was progress.

Neka continued to have the strange dream of fire and voices, and each morning he would wake up wondering what it meant. Sometimes, he thought he could catch snippets of words, like "wish" and "prayer," but never could he grasp the full concept. At one point, it suddenly occurred to him that he could just ask his father for help; it came on so abruptly out of nowhere that he wondered how he could have been so stupid as to not think of it before.

"Well," his father said, "when I was your age, I started to have dreams from the Great Spirits, too. To this day I don't really know what those first ones were about, but now that I'm a priest, I can recognize the dreams I have now." He patted Neka on the head, ruffling his short hair a bit; now more than ever was it feathery because of its shortness; sometimes he looked like a baby bird. "If I had to take a guess, perhaps Spirit of Fire blessed you and recognized you as my successor. If you have any more questions, it might be best to ask Anang; you know I'm not good at explaining things."

_Yeah, _Neka thought, fuming a little about the dream still, _Spirit of Fire blessed me by nearly killing me. _Quickly, he silently asked for forgiveness for the ireful thought.

()()()()()()

"You should be resting. Too much stress is bad for you."

If there was one thing Neka had learned by being around his mother when she had been pregnant with Toshawa, it was that mothers-to-be needed as little stress as possible. Though Chenoa herself had made it darn hard to keep stress levels down when she had been expecting, now the woman was preaching to her adopted sister. And Namas was definitely not resting; instead, she was bumbling about her house, her rounded stomach protruding in front of her a bit as she cleaned and did chores.

"But Tokori is sick," Namas pointed out. On cue, a loud cough came from somewhere within the house. "One of the healers is supposed to come later, and until Tokori gets better, I don't want him getting up and about, or he'll get worse."

"How bad is he?" Neka asked, leaning down to scoop up Toshawa before the toddler overturned Namas's chair. Chenoa shot him a _look _for not saying something along the lines of "Mom's right, you should sit down" and moved to Namas's side to keep her from continuing her work.

"He has a fever," Namas explained with a frown. Worry lit up her eyes. "And he's been coughing for months now, actually… The past week he's been very tired. This morning he could barely even get up."

Namas seemed to be so worried that she didn't notice Chenoa lead her to a chair, or that she sat down. Chenoa sent Neka another _look _to say "Watch her" and went about doing the chores for her adopted sister.

Unnerved that Tokori, who had always been a strong man, was sick, Neka sat down beside Namas and pacified Toshawa by letting him play with his favorite cloth doll. Unsure of what to say to his aunt, Neka stayed quiet.

()()()()()()

"Is it true that Tokori has an Incurable?" Nayeli asked Neka about a week later as they sat on the shore of the lake, their bare feet resting in the cool water. Neither one knew it, but the "Incurable" this time around was actually lung cancer.

Neka frowned. He had never really like the cold, and water wasn't much of an exception. This had been Nayeli's idea. "Yes," he replied. "The healers don't expect him to last another week."

"Then shouldn't you be as his bedside?" Nayeli asked; there was no accusation in her tone, only concern.

"I've visited him already, and I will again," Neka explained. "Mostly Mother's there with Namas, and a healer and Father. Tosh is being watched by our neighbors." He paused. "I've never seen anyone die before," he murmured.

Nayeli stayed quiet. Both knew and accepted that death was a part of life, and that they would be rewarded for death by the Great Spirits in the afterlife. But neither of them wanted to experience it, either secondhand or firsthand.

"…Can I tell you something?"

"What?" Nayeli asked, turning to lock eyes with Neka. "Anything."

Neka couldn't help but feel his face heat at her gaze, and he looked back toward the water. "I've had these dreams lately…"

When Neka trailed off, Nayeli knew that she had to keep the conversation going; normally, she wouldn't push the issue, but something in Neka's eyes told her to. "Because you're going to be a priest after your dad, right?"

"Yeah," Neka agreed, nodding. "Ever since my hair caught fire, I've been having dreams about fire. I keep hearing these voices, and last night I think I heard them say something about 'destiny.'" He paused, and then let out a small chuckle. "I have no idea why I'm telling you this."

Nayeli laughed a little, too. "It's all right. Sometimes it just helps to talk about stuff, even if just a little. If it's destiny, I think you should accept it, if you want my advice."

Neka looked back up at her and smiled. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Nayeli's face was suddenly very close to his. Before he could comprehend this, she had pressed her lips against his for a brief moment.

When he became aware of himself again, Nayeli had pulled away to flash him a smile before she stood and grabbed her moccasins and walked away, throwing him another smile over her shoulder.

It wasn't until Nayeli had disappeared from view that Neka fell onto his back, staring up at the sky as he touched his lips with his fingers.

That night was the first night that his dream included the pain of being burned alive.

()()()()()()

Neka's entire family cut their hair at Tokori's funeral. Neka thought it was a miracle that Namas didn't die then and there of a broken heart, but then he figured that she was fueling all her love toward her baby. The entire funeral, she had at least one hand on her stomach. By now, she was a little more than five months pregnant.

Neka spent a lot of time alone after Tokori's death. The days passed by in a blur, and he only marked them by the nights; by his dreams. Each and every night, it was the same dream, but it always felt as if he was experiencing it for the first time. For some reason, his nightmares didn't exhaust him too much, and he only lost an hour or so of sleep each night in comparison to before the dreams. Each morning and night he wondered about their meaning, and never once did he come up with an answer that convinced him.

Nayeli, seeing that Neka was in a slump, left him alone if she saw that he really needed it. Most of the time they were together, she stuck to him like a friend, and not necessarily a lover. Since their first kiss, they had only duplicated the act less than a handful of times, and always in private when they were parting ways.

Neka was especially upset about Tokori's death because the man had saved his life when his hair had caught fire from the bonfire. He tried not to think too much about Tokori, however; the thoughts always led him back to the pregnant, widowed Namas, and he felt deeply sorry for the woman. Chenoa was always at her adopted sister's side, and Neka would sometimes find himself doing some of the more "manly" chores around his aunt's house.

Namas was often quiet, but when she spoke Neka could identify a fierce determination in her voice. He knew that her baby would be the most well-taken-care-of child in the Patch.

As time wore on, Neka's dreams steadily grew more vivid. He considered taking his father's advice about going to speak to Anang, but he was too afraid. One didn't just pop in on the Patch Tribe leader. Besides, he didn't know how to explain his dreams at all anymore; since that brief conversation with Nayeli, he hadn't broached the topic with her. Part of him wanted to figure it all out himself, anyway. The dreams spoke of destiny - _his _destiny.

Finally, Neka's dream was so vivid that he woke in the middle of the night. He sat bolt upright in his bed, gasping for air. He remembered with detail the agony of the fire racing up his skin, of the smoke scorching the inside of his throat and lungs. And the voices had been louder this time, their tones blending into one. He knew that for once he had heard them clearly, but for the life of him he couldn't remember what had been said.

Trembling, Neka hurried out of bed and rushed to put on his clothes. Though he had trouble putting his moccasins on the right feet, soon Neka had slipped out into the cool night - it wasn't that hard to do so, since his mother (who could hear better than anyone he knew) was staying with Namas. He stood for a moment, letting the air calm him. It worked only slightly, and Neka found himself walking quickly through the streets to the lake, the surface of which reflected the light from the Great Spirits. Once there, he splashed a bit of water on his face and stared at his reflection.

_What is going on? _he thought to himself, holding his head. _What are these dreams? What am I supposed to do?_

For the remainder of the night and into the morning, Neka sat beside the lake, pensive and unable to shake off the feeling that something was wrong.

()()()()()()

Neka stood there, in the foggy land of the Holy Ground of the Stars, the wrapped-up body of a stillborn in his arms.

Things had happened far too fast that day. Though Neka could recall nearly everything that had happened, it felt like he had somehow been transported through time from that morning to here, though it had been many hours since he had learned that Namas had gone into early labor. The baby was in his arms now, unnaturally silent and still; wherever Namas was now, she was the same. An entire family gone in less than two months. A baby born dead - something that had never happened before.

As Neka recollected himself and began to walk again, his thoughts turned to his own mother's tearful sobs about her adopted sister's prayer. It was both simple and cryptic, Neka knew: Namas wanted her daughter to live. That was what she had said, but Neka just…just _knew _that there would be a deeper meaning to that. What did it mean to live? To love, to be sad? Why? Why had the Great Spirits created life and emotions? These questions must have been going through Namas's mind, he thought, as she died.

Namas had been through far too much. As soon as Neka had heard of her prayer, he knew he had to answer it. He knew that that was why he'd been having the dreams. The destiny - his destiny - it was to answer Namas's prayer. He had told Anang and his father and the other priests that he had to take Namas's baby, Catori, to the Great Spirits and revive her. Such a strong prayer couldn't be ignored.

_Catori, _he thought, _"spirit." Fitting name, since she's without one… It sounds like Tokori's name…_

Neka didn't know what he was going to do once he got to the Great Spirits - if he got there in the first place. He felt utterly lost in the Holy Ground, though he could see the Great Spirits in the distance. Though determined, he felt as if his feet weighed a million pounds…

()()()()()()

'_**Do you accept?'**_

Neka stood, frozen as he stared at Spirit of Fire. He understood now. He understood everything. He knew what would be expected of him and of Catori. He knew that he would have to lie and hide his emotions from the girl, and that she was to be lied to until Namas's prayer had been fulfilled. He understood that she would not have emotions until someone showed love to her - that that was rather like what everyone went through. One had to be loved in order to love, in order to live - like how a mother cared for her child. As Neka stared at Spirit of Fire, so many things were made clear to him that it made him dizzy.

Neka understood all of it, but could he really accept it?

He would be leaving so much behind to answer this prayer, he knew. Not only his body, but his way of life. His mother and father, little Tosh, the rest of the Patch, his future as a Patch priest. His possible future with Nayeli.

"_If it's destiny, I think you should accept it, if you want my advice."_

With a pang of regret, Neka realized that he hadn't said anything to Nayeli that day. No goodbyes… The next time he saw her, he would have to say that he was dead. Not a lie, but it hid enough of the truth that Neka almost wanted to cry right then. He would have to sit there in whatever form Spirit of Fire and the Great Spirits gave him and watch his loved ones grieve for him.

But if Neka didn't agree, Catori wouldn't gain his body's life force. Namas's prayer would go unanswered. Neka remembered how his mother had cried; how determined Namas had been to raise her baby.

Little Tosh could be a Patch priest instead of him. With a sad smile, Neka remembered the jokes about how little Tosh would end up married to Namas's daughter. Spirit of Fire had told him about the upcoming arrival of the stars and the Shaman Fight and the Shaman King, and Neka knew that Toshawa, being Patch, wouldn't be able to fulfill Namas's wish for Catori - that the girl be saved instead of killed for power.

_You can still help protect her, Tosh, _he couldn't help but think._ Help find a Shaman King that'll fulfill Namas's prayer._

Neka took in a breath and looked Spirit of Fire in the eye and nodded. "Yes."

The inferno burned worse than a thousand of his dreams. There were no voices, only the roar of the flames as they swirled around him and ate his body…he screamed…

'_**Your body is nothing; therefore you are Nix,' **_Spirit of Fire declared as the flames finally died.

Though the newly-named Nix had his eyes closed and still felt incredibly - but not uncomfortably - hot, the roar had died away. A new sense fed into his consciousness, and he was extra-aware of his surroundings. After a moment, he thought he could hear an odd sort of whimpering noise, but it was soft.

Realizing that he didn't hurt anymore and wasn't tired, Nix opened his eyes and lifted his head to realize that he was lying in a pile of ashes. _His _ashes. Startled, he scrambled to his feet - only to see that they were talons. His arms had turned into orangey-gold wings.

'_**A fire-bird,' **_Spirit of Fire explained. _**'A phoenix.'**_

Nix was about to experimentally flap his wings when a deep pang struck his core; he felt a rhythmic, echoing throb - a heartbeat. Astonished, Nix turned to where he had left the stillborn on the altar. Without really knowing how he did it, he flew/floated to the stillborn's side and peeked past the blanket to see Catori's unfeeling blue eyes looking right at him. With every breath she took, he could feel it as if he had his own lungs.

()()()()()()

The first life of Catori's was the hardest for Nix. He watched his loved ones grieve and eventually move on. The Patch was in awe of Catori, and they hid their disappointment from her at her lack of emotions as they treated her like a god. The Great Spirits revealed to the Patch the upcoming importance of the Shaman Fights. Shoneah died of a sudden heart attack three years before the scheduled start and Toshawa took his place at sixteen. Chenoa grew old. Nayeli married, and though Nix kept an eye out for her protection it was too hard to watch her live with another, even if he wasn't quite sure if he had really, _truly _loved her in the first place.

Throughout it all, Catori grew. She was guarded at all times by the Patch priests, whom Nix had told of Catori's "purpose." Aside from the priests, it was forbidden for her to be near boys (especially alone), lest they take her furyoku. Nix watched Toshawa fall in love with her other-worldly looks (for who in the Patch had red hair, or eyes that weren't dark?) and powers of healing and telepathy - things she used only when she was told to - but ultimately, he was thrown off by her coldness. Catori rarely communicated, even to Nix; she only communicated when spoken to, and she never took pleasure in anything. Even during the Shaman Fights, which she was encouraged to watch, she didn't show any sort of reaction.

Nix never left Catori's side. Every heartbeat and breath she took, he could feel in his being. If a splinter pricked the tip of her finger, he could feel the slightest twinge of discomfort in his wing. He guarded her as if she were himself.

When the first Shaman King was finally chosen, Nix watched as Toshawa struggled to decide whether to intervene or not; whether it was right or wrong to let Catori go and die, knowing that she only existed to do so. Ultimately, the boy let Catori lead the Shaman King to the Great Spirits, and Nix never saw his brother again. Nor his mother. Nor Nayeli or her newest son.

Because as soon as Catori's first body died, his soul felt wretched and twisted from her life ending, and he followed the tug he couldn't ignore to her new host.()()()()()()

Nix measured time by Catori's lives. Eventually though, he stopped keeping count. Each life for Catori between her Patch ones was the same. Time after time, Nix was forced to watch her become an outcast of society. She never complained in any sort of way; all she did was accept the choices other made for her, even the terrible ones. Forced to work any job a mute girl could get, abused in any and all ways, starved…

In most places, the average population couldn't see Nix, so he could only offer Catori help through integration or oversoul. She rarely did these things, though; she coldly refused to use his help to run away from any situation or to stop it. In the beginning, Nix wanted to throttle her for this, because every time she got hurt, he could feel it as well - though not as much as she felt it - even though he had been told that he had to let her experience things for her own benefit. He was desperate, but eventually he came to the conclusion that nothing he said could change her unbendable mind. In a twisted way, that was how he first grew to respect her: her stubbornness.

Nix saw Catori's logic in saying that she was just going to die anyways; Nix never saw Catori as a person, only as a spirit. How could he see her as a person, when she didn't even have feelings? He found himself doubting whether he would ever fulfill Namas's prayer. He doubted his growing wish that Catori would ever be an actual person.

When Catori was born Wei Maylin, Nix found that the family also had a son: Tai. And it was obvious from the beginning that the boy was not average; he was kind and well-mannered, respectful, and considerate. And above all, he treated everyone as his equal.

Nix could see it as clear as day: Tai felt a deep love for his sister. Times had been changing, and Nix could see that though Catori was still alienated by most of the world, the family that she was born into cared about her quite a lot, even if her disabilities were a strain.

Nix couldn't have foreseen Tai's actions to try and save Catori from being hit by the car, but all Nix could think was that it was terrible timing. Just one life before such an act would have fulfilled the prayer. If only it had been then, and that Tai had been a shaman, the Shaman King…

But something happened, and Nix noticed it immediately upon seeing the newest version of Catori, back in the Patch. He sensed her emotions, swirling and new and turbulent. Though she was reserved and confused about everything - even scared - Nix couldn't explain it to her. Now, more than ever, he knew he had to let her live; he could only be there to keep her safe. He had to stand as an obstacle for her, to try and rein her in; she had to go after the things she wanted. And that she did.

For the first time, Catori excitedly went to the preliminaries of the Shaman Fight. Time had made the rules of the Patch more lax concerning her protection, and she struck out on her own, away from the priests, and even visited the Asakura clan for the hell of it before going back to Tokyo and finally seeing - or watching, really - Yoh. His actions were so like Hao's previous lives that there was no question he was Hao's twin.

Nix had become highly critical over the years, but even he couldn't find fault with Yoh's values - except that the boy was too lazy. But Yoh and Manta were true friends to Catori, and even Anna became tolerant of her. But even since Nix first saw the Tao boy, he hated the boy's very existence.

The Tao boy's entire way of life was hatred; having it pushed on him, and then pushing it off onto others. Killing was easy. Nix knew that if this boy ever became the Shaman King, Catori would be dead in the blink of an eye, if he didn't kill her before then first.

How wrong that thought would turn out to be.

As time went on, Nix could see how much these people meant to Catori, and for the first time, jealousy bubbled in his core. He did his best to push it away, though; he was happy for her, truly, that she was finally able to have friendships (even if they were based on lies). He was always there for her, regardless of the situation, and guilt gnawed at his entire being when he had to manipulate the situation in order for her to learn, such as when he didn't help her try and rescue Manta from Faust VIII.

He was there for every single emotion she had, be it guilt or sadness or happiness or amusement. And the feeling came to him one day, and he never consciously realized it: he loved her. Not romantically - oh no, never that, he was her spirit, and he'd long since forgotten such feelings. No, Nix loved her beyond that; he was committed to her, and not to Namas's prayer. Not anymore. Long ago, he had started to forget about his past life. First to go had been the memories of the unimportant people he had known, and then Tokori and Nayeli, and his family after that. Then, he barely remembered himself as Neka; he only kept onto that previous identity because of Spirit of Fire's explanation. He wanted, above everything else, for Catori to be a person and not a spirit. He wanted her to have one life, to be released from her prison.

It was like walking a tightrope; if she spilled her secret to her newfound friends, who knew what would happen? Though these people seemed genuine, Nix had no way of knowing if they would succumb to the lie that Catori was the only way to achieve the Great Spirits. He was still especially suspicious of the Tao boy, even if the kid's colors seemed to have changed. But these boys had the potential to become stronger, and surely they would at least have some sort of internal struggle when faced with the task of killing her.

And then there was Hao. Never, ever did Nix have a liking for Hao, especially now. The Asakura was one of the most threatening things to Catori. He would do anything to become the Shaman King, but not only that; his actions were unpredictable. Nix had no idea why Hao had toyed with Catori (except perhaps just for the hell of it), and he was the biggest threat to her safety. Think about it for a second: if he blabbed, it was likely that all contestants would find out, and who could resist that kind of lie about power?

Nix was deathly afraid of failing Catori, but if they didn't take some kind of chance, she'd never be free. She'd never live.

And ultimately, Nix did take a chance.

It was a huge risk for Catori to go after Hao and the others. But after Nix had learned that Catori had accidentally given Ren some of her furyoku, hope had blossomed within him, along with serious doubt. Could they somehow bypass part of the prayer, if Ren was somehow "technically" the Shaman King, and didn't kill Catori? But then there was the boy's violent past to consider, not to mention the fact that Hao was unpredictable and could kill her, and Nix would have to keep himself from shuddering at the thoughts.

When Catori had decided that suicide would be better than being used, Nix couldn't disagree with her thought process, but that didn't mean that he had had to like it. There had been a small hope inside him that this might be what was needed, that one of the others would keep her from being killed, but of course that was unlikely. What was more likely was Hao getting to her before she could have a chance to do anything…but they were so close, and Nix couldn't let Catori's chance at life slip by. He just couldn't.

Having his power being taken back by Spirit of Fire was excruciating - it brought back the faded memory of dying in the inferno. He felt small and weak, and he couldn't sense anything around him, as if he were blind in every sense, and he knew that if he didn't pass on, he would disappear, even if Catori needed him…

In the end, it had all worked out for the better. Namas's prayer for her daughter had been answered, at least just enough. And Nix could tell her everything, all the truths he had been keeping from her for her entire existence…

He regretted having to ever lie to her, but only one question remained unanswered to him as he passed on.

_How can she forgive me so easily?_


	62. Wanting

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. I only own my own OCs.**

_No reviews for last chapter! Not that I blame any of you, I love all of you! Just sayin'. You shippers were probably like "Who the hell is this Nayeli person?" And yeah, it wasn't my best writing, but I kinda felt the need to write it, ya know?_

_So, I was reading SK online (don't say anything about it, I'm still not finished!), and a pic of Hao with a ponytail came up…and it sorta-kinda reminded me of Tori. Weird. He looked like such a girl XD Speaking of girls, I recently found out that Goldva is actually a woman o.o I never realized. On Goldva's wiki page it said that it's a common mistake to see her as a man, but I feel kinda embarrassed to say it XD _

_MUFFLED HAS FANART! There's a link to it on my profile :D A deviant named eyesperspective (if I wrote that wrong, I'm so sorry!) drew it, and I think it's gorgeous! (I have to admit, I put it as my background on my laptop. It's the first fanart I've ever gotten :D It made my day...no, my week. My fanfiction LIFE. It's so much better than anything I could've drawn, seriously.)_

_What else to talk about? Weeeeeeeelllll, this is kind of an angsty chapter, I *think*. I considered putting Tori in absolute denial that Nix is gone, but I decided to have her use a different method for trying to get over her sadness. I honestly really love this chapter. Hopefully you'll see why ;)_

**Sixty: Wanting**

For at least forty-eight hours, I kept myself curled up in a ball under the blankets of my bed and only got up if I had to go to the bathroom. I stared blankly at nothing. I felt like there was a gaping hole in my soul. My senses were gone, my telepathy was gone, my debt was gone, my duty, reincarnation cycle, healing abilities. But those things didn't matter much, though. Nothing did.

But this wasn't like before in past lives, when I had been near emotionless. Now, I almost _wanted _to be emotionless. I didn't want to feel this feeling of emptiness. I wanted Nix, even though I knew I could never have him again.

I felt vulnerable, but I also felt very aware. Maybe my senses had gone, but I felt as if I could just _tell _if people came into the room. I was so quiet that I heard a lot, and I managed to piece together things.

Faust came in to check on me every few hours or so, and he made easy small talk. From him, I learned that after Yoh had defeated Hao (though they had yet to find a body), and the Great Spirits had transported us out of the Holy Ground. And apparently, I had collapsed, very suddenly and without warning. It was like Neka had said: my furyoku had been exhausted, and if they hadn't taken such quick action, I'd probably be dead. In any case, Faust bandaged all my wounds, and especially the wounds of the others. I had been out for a little over a day before I had woken up, screaming for Nix.

Several chairs had been set up in my room, and occasionally I would have a visitor. Most often it was my mother. She quietly explained that she, Pirika, and Anna had cleaned me up and changed me into fresh, clean clothes, and that my back was free of my old mark. Immediately, I had gone to the bathroom mirror to check; seeing my back free of any bit of black made me both more hopeful and more depressed, if that was possible.

She also tried vainly to cheer me up, delivering news that the Shaman Fight had been suspended for the time being and nearly every contestant had gone home (even the X-Laws, though Lyserg had apparently stayed; one of his arms was in a cast, not that the English boy said that was the reason for staying), and that Yoh and the others had moved their things to the surrounding houses as to be closer to me. (I figured that that was mostly Yoh's choice, though I wasn't sure. The Patch also gave them their Oracle Bells back.) Shima tried to tease me a little about how much attention I was getting; apparently, everyone sans Ren and Anna had come in at least once when I was unconscious, or checked on me since then by opening the door a crack. Ren had only stopped me the other day because he was passing by the room.

Another bit of news that Shima heard through the grapevine (namely, Silva or Kalim, who also told this to Yoh and the others) was that the Great Spirits had sent word that I was free of my debt and that I was not to be sacrificed. The Patch priests were in a state of shock and confusion, because though the Great Spirits had said that I was no longer needed for the Shaman King, the Fight itself hadn't been reinstated yet. The priests also wanted to talk to me, but my mother, Silva, and Kalim had vouched for waiting until I "had recovered."

Aside from my mother, my most frequent visitors were Yoh, Manta, HoroHoro, and Pirika. Though they gave me periods of time throughout the day to grieve, I knew they came in to check on me because they didn't want me to choke myself with the bandages Faust had placed around my neck from the nick Ren had given me. Of course, none of them talked outright about it; it was a touchy subject.

I wanted to see Nix, but I remembered what he said about me trying to "kill myself" had been stupid. I wasn't suicidal. I was afraid of dying and of letting Nix down.

Yoh and Manta usually came together. Most of the time, Yoh talked about mundane things like the weather, but even then, his voice had always had that weird soothing effect, so while I never really remembered what he said, I listened. Manta didn't say too much aside from the usual "Hi, Tori-kun" or "How are you feeling?" but even though I was so depressed, I appreciated it.

()()()()()()

Around the middle of the first day, Yoh came in alone and sat in a chair so that I could see his face out of the corner of my eye.

"Hi, Tori," he greeted.

That was one thing I realized I really liked about Yoh: he knew what to say and what not to say. He knew how I was feeling, so he hadn't asked about that. In response, I glanced at him.

Yoh looked toward the window. "It's really quiet now, with all the people gone. I'm sure not all of them will be able to come back, but most of them probably will, and then it'll be busy again."

I don't know where it came from, but I let out the tiniest of laughs; it was the first sound I had made since my words to my mother, but I had no idea if it was bitter or amused or both. My voice was still raspy from lack of use, and I had a little bit of trouble speaking at a normal pace, but other than that I was understandable. "What is that," I asked quietly, "some kind of metaphor?"

Yoh looked back with a lazy but happy grin. "Maybe. Depends on how you look at it."

I took a good look at Yoh. The obvious was that he was covered in scratches and healing bruises from the fight. But his eyes were more tired than usual - they were slightly bloodshot, and he had small bags under them. It was such a small difference, though, that I didn't know how I saw them. "What's wrong, Yoh?" I asked slowly, surprising myself.

Yoh looked right at me. "I was worried about you."

I frowned, recognizing the technique of eye-contact, having used it myself. "That's not all, is it?"

Yoh paused and looked down for a second. Finally: "I didn't want to kill him. He was my brother. If he wasn't so set in his ways of killing, he would've been a good person, I know it."

For some reason, I didn't feel a burst of hatred or annoyance at the mention of Hao. Maybe I was too tired - tired of all the fighting. "…Are you sure he's dead?"

Yoh tensed. "What?"

"I mean," I amended, remembering with a deep pang the connection I had had with Nix; "shouldn't you be able to tell if he's dead? You guys…are twins. And… I think I saw, before I passed out, Spirit of Fire carrying Hao away…"

Yoh was nodding slowly. "You have a point." It was obvious that he was thinking very hard and seriously about this.

I let out a small sigh through my nose and closed my eyes. "…The others told you everything, right?"

"Yes," Yoh replied, responding easily to the change in subject. "Your mom told us a little, too. Like why you must be able to talk now."

I massaged my forehead with my fingers. "I…I'll tell you all absolutely everything. I promise. There's…still some left."

I could hear the reassuring smile in Yoh's voice. "No rush. I'll let you rest."

There was a slight scraping noise as he rose from his chair, and his sandals clicked against the floor as he began to leave the room.

"…Yoh?"

I heard him stop. "Yeah?"

I hesitated. "I… Aside from Nix, you're the best friend I've ever had."

Once again, I could hear the smile in his voice. "You're the best almost-sister I've ever had," he joked, touching upon one of our conversations from nearly a year ago, but it was sincere. Quietly, he left the room.

There was little doubt in my mind that he was going to go try and see if he did have the power to find out about his brother.

()()()()()()

Though I never looked up, I was aware when HoroHoro would come into the room. The Ainu's presence was like a heavy blanket, even though he rarely spoke. His visits were sporadic; there was no real schedule. He came in when no one else was there, and left before anyone else came in. I could tell he was concerned and agitated, but for some reason I didn't want to talk to him at all. My conversation with Yoh was the longest one I'd had. Actually, the only other people I had (hardly) spoken to were my mother and Pirika.

The Ainu girl had put it upon herself to deliver me meals and to eat with me. In such a way that only she could, Pirika would bring a single, large tray laden with food for the both of us, and would plop herself on the other end of the bed and make sure I ate enough. I didn't feel much like eating, but whatever she put in front of me I would eat at least half of, if only to keep her from shoving it down my throat. Though Pirika's visits did perk me up a bit, I didn't have much patience for too much of her at one time right now.

Her actions confused me a little. She called me "Tori-nee-chan" still and talked about any number of things, most of which only needed a nod or shrug from me in reply. But I could remember her angry accusation of me lying to HoroHoro (she hadn't said anything about the others at that time); however, I knew she had also been concerned for me. She had also explained in passing that, since our house was too big for just me and my mother, she had taken one of the empty rooms while Faust had taken the other in case "something happened."

On the second day of my grieving, she arrived cheerfully into the room at lunchtime, closing the door with her hip; she didn't realize that she hadn't done it hard enough, and the door was left only a crack open thanks to the lock. I sat up, and she put the tray on my lap for safekeeping before sitting down, tucking her legs beneath her.

"It's a beautiful day," she commented brightly, reaching forward to grab her bowl of chicken noodle soup.

I shrugged noncommittally and picked up my spoon, blowing on the hot soup before swallowing. It tasted good, but I didn't notice much.

"Not too much happening, though," Pirika continued. Her blue eyes suddenly brimmed with excitement. "Yoh went for a walk with Anna! He did look a little serious, though." Very easily, she jumped from topic to topic. "Your mother seems to like Chocolove's jokes. And she really seems to like Tamao and Jun! And Lyserg, too."

"That's good," I murmured, taking another sip. I liked the way the soup made me feel warm. I'd felt so cold lately…

"I don't see Ren a lot," Pirika went on.

_I need to thank him._

The sudden thought made me pause for a second. What was there to thank Ren for? I didn't have Nix anymore. But even with that in mind, I really was grateful. Though inadvertently, Ren had made it possible for me to stay here with the people I wanted to stay with. _And…_

I blinked. And what?

"…think he must go out at night," Pirika was saying. "He's the type to do that. Anyway…"

I paused with my spoon in my mouth, pretending to taste it. What was there to think about with Ren? He probably still didn't trust me. He never had - he had said that. Sure, he had saved me, but really only because he had put off killing me unless he really had to.

_But that's something, isn't it? _I couldn't help but think. _If he had hated you, he would have killed you then and there when you asked him to. He must have a reason for not wanting to kill you._

Realizing that I was referring to myself as "you," I bit down hard on my spoon so that my teeth would ache a little, frustrated.

"…Are you listening to me, Tori-nee-chan?"

I blinked at the quiet, serious question, and looked at Pirika. Her blue eyes were concerned and sad. I decided to be honest. "No," I replied slightly tensely, taking the spoon out of my mouth but not doing anything else with it except hold it.

Pirika smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "You know…" she began slowly. "Onii-chan is really worried about you."

Not knowing how to reply, I busied myself with swallowing another spoonful of soup. I remembered Pirika's and my conversation in the onsen, when she had assumed HoroHoro and I were dating.

"I really think…" she continued uncertainly, not about the subject but about my reaction, "that he loves you."

My spoon dropped back into the bowl with a clatter.

"I am _not _in love with your brother, Pirika!" I snapped.

Only when Pirika recoiled did I realized what I'd said, and how much I meant it. Despite the fact that HoroHoro obviously cared about me and had tried to come clean to me about it, I just didn't feel that way toward him. But also, I realized how much I regretted saying it so harshly to her.

"I… I didn't mean to say it like that," I apologized. My mind was spinning, though, and I put my hands to my temples.

_I love Nix. I love… I want… _

_I want…_

Ren's gold eyes flashed in my mind, and I suddenly was intensely angry at myself. What was I, a masochist? Ren had tried to kill me several times! He was more cynical and hateful than I was. I used to hate him…!

_Exactly - "used to." Now, you can laugh at him when he says those arrogant things. He was marked, too. He knows what it's like to have so much on one set of shoulders. He knew you were lying the entire time, so he's most used to you. And you were scared for him when he was dying…_

Realizing once again that I was silently talking to myself, I squeezed my temples to try and get rid of my thoughts. I shouldn't be thinking this way. I should be grieving for Nix and figuring out where I should start in my explanation to the others. I shouldn't be thinking about Ren…

"Are you okay?" Pirika asked concernedly, putting a hand on my arm. I noticed her reluctance, as if she was slightly afraid.

"I…" I hesitated. "I'm not hungry anymore, Pirika. Thank you."

It was Pirika's turn to hesitate. Slowly, she put her bowl back on the tray and stood before picking up the tray and leaving the room. As she went through the doorway, she looked back once, worry in her eyes, but she didn't stop.

I turned my body away from the door and curled up beneath the covers, doing my best not to think about anything but Nix. My thoughts were jumping from one thing to another, and the only coherent one I really had was _I don't want to be alone._

()()()()()()

I didn't see Pirika again until dinnertime. Only my mother and Faust had come to visit during the time in between, and that hadn't been too memorable. In that time, though, my thoughts had managed to calm…slightly.

"Hi, Tori-nee-chan," Pirika greeted, friendly but quiet as she came in. The door clicked shut behind her.

I rose to a sitting position silently, my thoughts still in a mess. But now, guilt hurt me even more for snapping at Pirika.

Dinner was fried noodles; not Kalim's, but my mother's, which were actually better. Still, though, I hardly tasted them as I chewed.

Pirika wasn't very talkative. Mostly, she just ate her noodles. I couldn't blame her; she probably thought I would seriously snap.

Finally, I couldn't stay silent any longer. "Pirika…I'm sorry for yelling at you."

Pirika blinked. "Oh… It's no problem. I forgive you. You're under a lot of stress."

The "stress" part made me wince slightly. "No… That doesn't justify it. I'm really sorry."

Pirika sighed and put down her fork. "I'm not angry at you, Tori-nee-chan. I'm worried about you… and Onii-chan. I understand you don't _like _him like him," she added quickly, holding up her hands. She looked away slightly despondently. "I just think he heard you. He's been kinda mope-y."

It was my turn to sigh. So that was why he hadn't come on one of his short visits. "I don't want to hurt him, Pirika. He's my friend."

A bit of Pirika's protectiveness for her brother surged up. "You would've hurt him anyway, even if you told him gently," she argued.

"So the only way to not hurt him would be to lie to him more?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from being scornful. I looked away. "I'm not going to lie. Not anymore."

_So don't lie to yourself._

I tried not to wince at the thought. Where had this inner voice come from? Was I developing split personalities or something, to cope with the loss of Nix? Was I going insane?

_No, _I told myself. _I'm just sad. It'll all fade eventually…_

Pirika seemed to deflate. "You have a point," she admitted.

Very suddenly, I didn't want to talk about this anymore. "Pirika?"

"What?" she asked.

I gathered a bit of the bedcovers in my fist. "Why are you guys doing this for me?" I whispered.

Pirika smiled reassuringly. "We want to, Tori-nee-chan. You're our friend."

()()()()()()

I was pretty sure that it was nearing midnight, but I couldn't sleep - not that I had really been able to sleep last night, either. Outside my window, the light of the Great Spirits shone on the streets much like moonlight would. The house had been silent for hours, and I hadn't heard much of anything outside.

Feeling restless, I got up and went to the bathroom. There, I looked in the mirror at the girl with the scratches and bruises that I hadn't healed from the Gate incident, and from my trek through the Forbidden Forest and the Holy Ground. Around my neck, replacing my lost feather charm, was a wrap of bandages to help heal the nick Ren had given me. At the same time, I hoped it would and wouldn't scar.

My mother had put my hair in a ponytail with a simple scrunchie. Irately, I pulled it out, letting my hair hang loosely, all the way down to the end of my butt. Ponytails were for happy people. Different people. I never wanted to put it back up again.

When I came back to my bed, I just stared at it. The covers were a mess, the two pillows not much better.

I didn't want to lie there anymore. Not unless I was actually tired, anyway. Even though I knew I would never stop grieving for Nix, lying around was going to do nothing.

Still restless, I slowly opened my door as to not make much sound. I peeked outside into the hallway and living room, but there was no one there at all, not even one of the other's spirits. Not that I would know anymore if anyone was hiding.

Barefooted, in baggy pajamas that I hadn't changed out of since my mother put me in them, I tiptoed across the living room to the front door and slipped outside.

I used the side-stairs to reach the top of my flat-roofed house, going to stand near the edge so that I could look at the Great Spirits better. I remembered when Hao had come here and offered me that deal, that one day when there would be no lies between us, only truths. I wondered briefly whether Yoh had made any headway in finding him. These thoughts, though, were soon gone, to be replaced by my earlier internal struggle. I placed my knuckles against my closed eyes, trying to block out my thoughts; it didn't work.

I did _not _like Ren like _that. _He was an egotistical bastard. He hadn't even come to check on me after I had clamped onto him in hysterics.

_But he was there, wasn't he? And you don't know for sure if he hasn't looked in on you, at least from the other side of the door. Ren doesn't show concern by staying at bedsides. He shows concern by refusing to leave his friends, or little things that don't go noticed…_

Tears started to leak out from underneath my eyelids. Why _now, _of all times, was this happening to me? Why, when Nix was gone? Was I trying to latch onto someone else, so that I wouldn't have to be alone? Why was I thinking about _Ren _- if I didn't want to be alone, HoroHoro would be the logical one to think about. But then again, my logic had probably died long ago…

"What are you doing out here?"

The sudden voice startled me, and I jumped, loosing my footing. The fearful sensation of falling filled me as I tipped over the side. I had never been afraid of heights before, but without Nix, I felt like I would die even before I hit the street below.

A hand reached out and grabbed my arm, pulling me back toward safety. Still rushing off the fight-or-flight adrenaline, I jerked toward the person who had saved me, clutching at his shirt.

"Damn it, Tori, what the hell are you doing?" Ren snapped.

Realizing the position I was in, I jerked back, but before I could once again tip over the edge of the roof, Ren pulled me back once again. Far from tactfully, he grasped me by the shoulders and guided me away from the edge, putting himself between me and it.

"What are you trying to do, kill yourself?" Ren asked harshly.

I had no idea if he meant to say that, but I didn't reply in any way except to look down.

Ren crossed his arms. "Am I supposed to take that as a 'yes'?"

"No!" I blurted, looking back up.

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because it looked like you were going to back when we were fighting Hao."

It was hard to maintain eye contact, if only because his stare made me feel emotionally naked, like he could see right through me. "I'm not suicidal," I said forcefully.

Ren suddenly put his hand up beside my cheek, close enough so I could feel the heat radiating from him. Without warning, he slapped me.

It wasn't harsh at all; he didn't even follow through, and I only recoiled from the shock. It was only a sting on my cheek, as if he was just trying to put a little sense into me; but nevertheless it caught my attention. It transported me back to when I had slapped him for killing Chrom and when he had caught my hand before I could hit him after he had nearly died.

"No matter what you _were _thinking," Ren said, pulling his hand back, "your suicide stunt was one of the stupidest things I have ever seen. You… disappointed me."

_This _hurt far more than the tiny sting of the slap. He was reprimanding me; he was angry with me. But most of all, I had disappointed him, as he had said.

I had to defend myself. "I wasn't going to let him use me to kill you guys."

"You said before that he _couldn't _use you," Ren pointed out.

I winced. "Not…not _fully_… But I realized then that he was so powerful that it didn't matter - I said that, too. But…" I couldn't help but look away, irritated at myself.

"But what?" Ren prompted, impatient.

"I was lied to too, okay?" I snapped. My nervousness and confusion about Ren, accompanied by my angst over Nix, manifested into anger. "I was told the Shaman King needed my furyoku, and you know what? I was _never _needed. The furyoku I was given meant absolutely _nothing_. It was all just some stupid test to see whether or not the Shaman King would kill me-"

"Wait," Ren interjected. "The furyoku… was absolutely nothing?"

I blinked, my earlier fury suddenly forgotten. "No. I-I mean, it had no effect whatsoever on anything."

Ren visibly relaxed and I could see the relief in his eyes. Of course, he had thought that he might've been the Shaman King, not by earning it but by gaining it by chance. No doubt he hadn't wanted that.

If I wasn't being paranoid, I thought there was some sort of odd truce forming between us. In spite of my nervousness, somehow I had decided to wholeheartedly trust Ren. I had no idea what he felt about me, but he was here now, wasn't he? He was talking to me. Listening to me…

I unconsciously made a fist as I struggled with my nerves. "…Why didn't you kill me?"

"Speak up; you're mumbling," Ren replied, not hearing me.

My insides squirmed. I had to know. "Why didn't you kill me?" I repeated, louder.

Ren was silent for a moment. "You're going to have to be specific about the time," he admitted.

I dry-swallowed, looking anywhere but at Ren's eyes. It struck me that he was being a little more agreeable than usual. Maybe he was trying to keep me from diving off the roof, like everybody had been doing recently (not necessarily the roof thing, but you know). "Any time," I said, not sure why I had chickened out of specifying when I had _asked _him.

Ren re-adjusted his arms as they were crossed. "Some of the times… I'm not sure."

"You-" I cut myself off, trying to organize my thoughts. "When you first saw my mark, you didn't kill me. You… Did you think that made us, I don't know… similar?" I caught his eyes for a brief second, and then I quickly turned my gaze to my feet, wishing my heart would slow down.

"Yes," Ren said finally. "I did think that. And I hated thinking like that." He paused. "It made me more suspicious of you."

I could hear my heartbeat echoing in my ears now. I glanced up, only to look quickly back down again after barely meeting his eyes. Were we really having this conversation? Were we really standing here in the middle of the night? After all the initial fear and hate, how could I…?

_I…really do…care about him…_

I flexed my hands nervously. I couldn't go on without knowing… "What…what about when I asked you to kill me?"

"I would have if I had to," Ren explained immediately.

"But why?" I blurted, looking back up at him. "What we thought at the time - if it had really been true, you would have been able to be Shaman King and stop Hao."

"Why do you want to know?" Ren asked, slightly tersely.

"Because-" I stopped short, flustered, and started to wring my hands.

"What is your problem?" Ren asked, annoyed.

"I want to know," I began, sounding each word out carefully, "because my…debt was paid off because you had some of my furyoku, technically claiming you as the Shaman King, and you didn't kill me to get the rest of my furyoku. I'm free of it - the furyoku and the debt and the mark - because of you."

Ren's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

I dug my nails into my palms. "I wanted to thank you for that."

I stood there awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. A part of me was screaming to turn around and get out of here, but my legs wouldn't move. I was frozen, but I felt flush and anxious.

"…I didn't kill you because I didn't want to," Ren said finally. "You're guilty of lying, but you're not evil. I don't want to kill anymore. I hurt you and Yoh too much in the past… And I was returning the favor for you saving my life," he added quickly, importantly.

Words bubbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. "I was so scared. I didn't want you to die." I could feel myself trembling, and once more I looked away. "You scared the shit out of me…. There was so much blood. Don't…don't do that."

Ren didn't respond.

I forced myself to look him in the eye. "I'm so sorry for everything I've done, for all the lies and for pulling you into it like…that. I was selfish with all my lies, and I was a coward and an idiot. No matter how many times I say it, it won't be enough. I'm sorry."

Ren's expression was unreadable. "…I suppose I should apologize for how I acted as well."

With that, he unfolded his arms and began to walk past me.

Panic filled me, and I darted my hand out to grab his arm. For the first time on my own, I said his name. "Ren!"

The Tao stopped short and looked back at me, his eyes flashing at my tone. "What?"

"I…" I faltered, fear coursing through me. What was I doing?

_You told yourself not to lie! So don't lie to yourself!_

Ren let out a slow, silent sigh. He seemed tired, but not physically. "If you don't have anything to say," he said as he began to turn away.

I tightened my grip on his arm and tugged him back. I was weak, and he didn't move that much, but he looked back, startled. And I took that opportunity to lean forward - but at the last second, I kissed him on the cheek.

I couldn't explain what I felt as I pulled away; all I was sure of was that my face was red and hot. Scared, I glanced up at him; our eyes locked and I couldn't look away. Ren looked hesitant and disbelieving, startled - no, _shocked_. I didn't know how I found it in me to say anything, but I did.

"I… Y-you're a bastard, Ren." Embarrassment coursed red-hot through my veins, and I started to babble. "You're egotistical and arrogant a-and cynical and confusing-"

Ren's expression turned into a glare. "What do you _want_, Tori?" he asked in exasperation.

Trying to ignore the fluttering in my stomach, I kissed him on the mouth. It was chaste; just my lips on his. For those few seconds, all my confusing thoughts and doubts were gone, and all I was aware of was Ren.

Ren suddenly jerked away. Startled, I froze up, only able to look at him.

The Tao was blushing slightly, but it was obvious that he was pissed. "Damn it, Tori, you're a fucking idiot."

I stared.

"Get your fucking act together," Ren snapped. "I asked you what you want - and right now it's obvious that you're depressed because your spirit passed on. Don't use people to make yourself fucking feel better."

My blood boiled with both anger and shame, but I couldn't help but protest. "I'm not! I care about you, Ren. I worry when something's wrong with you, and even your stupid arrogant remarks make me laugh now. You stand up for your friends, you're loyal, you don't give up, and though you may be an egotistical bastard on the outside you have this stupid heart of gold that I can't forget about. I can't forget anything about you. I can forgive all the things you've done because you were a different person then. Maybe you've never trusted me, but I can see all these things about you and I love them."

I stood there, panting; I was unused to long-winded arguments. My throat felt nearly raw, and I dry-swallowed as I tried to forcibly calm myself. It didn't work.

The Tao's eyebrows shot up, and when he didn't respond within a few seconds, my heart plummeted. What was I thinking? Ren would never feel the same way about me. He had always been suspicious of me, never trusting. He had even thought for a while that I was on Hao's side.

Silently but furiously berating myself, I turned around back toward the stairs. I felt tears start to sting my eyes as I walked away, and I blinked frantically to try to keep them at bay. What had I been expecting? I had been a liar and a leech off of the others' friendship. Ren had _reason _to reject-

He grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks. "Are you serious?" he demanded.

Why was he prolonging this? I wanted to get out of here as fast as I could, get as far away from this failure as possible, even if his touch made my arm feel warm. I didn't look back at him, and I didn't answer.

Ren let out a frustrated, impatient huff. "Tori, are you serious?" he repeated.

"Of course I am!" I snapped, suddenly whipping around to face him. "Why would I lie about this, Ren?"

Ren stared at me for a long moment. "I could have killed you."

"_You _changed, and _I _changed," I pointed out, frustrated. "And do you think I came to this conclusion easily?"

Ren's face was hard. "You're an idiot."

With that, he turned and walked away without a backward glance.

()()()()()()

Of course, Ren was right. Wasn't he always?

I was an idiot. And I was terrible, trying to use him to feel less alone - how had I come to the conclusion that I loved him _now, _when I was so emotionally unstable? Maybe some of my feelings about him were genuine, but I probably just wanted someone around who could take the place of Nix, and Ren's attitude was rather similar. And over the past year, I had tried to use _everybody _to feel less alone. I was horrible and selfish…and I didn't have any idea who I was. Even after all that had happened, how could I still be such a terrible, leeching person?

I sat on my bed in the semi-darkness, staring at the wall for a long while. I didn't know how much time passed, but eventually I came to a decision.

There weren't many hours left until morning. I lay down on my back and closed my eyes. Hopefully, I could catch a few Z's before then.


	63. Liar

**DISCLAIMER: I only own my OCs.**

Warning: angst.

Keeping this a/n short, I'm on my mom's laptop and I hate it to death when working with FFnet (even though it's a Mac... mostly I'm unused to the track pad. it's TONS better than her old laptop). I got a Tumblr account, check that out if you want.

WHY SK WHY! I finished reading the manga, but in the process another trojan attached itself to my laptop, hence why it took forever to get this chapter up (I'm away for the weekend, that's why it's up so fast). WHY DO YOU HATE ME, SK, WHEN I LOVE YOU SO MUCH? I TRY TO READ ABOUT YOU AND YOU ABUSE ME D:

...By the way, those who haven't read the manga: do it. Took me forever but it was gorgeous. Only thing: the last Kan Zen Bang (probably butchered the spelling) chapter includes Men, and he kinda disturbs me, even though I did know about him since forever ago. I'd better go read Flowers now.

Anyway, I'm sorry if the format is wrong, I had to copy/paste this into here. I'm going through it now, but sorry if anything's off. I was unable to spellcheck this, too.

**Sixty-One: Liar**

When Pirika yawned and entered the kitchen that morning, she didn't notice me sitting at the table. She hummed sleepily to herself, brushing away a stray tear of tiredness as she went to the fridge. She peered at the contents inside for a moment before shrugging to herself and pulling out the carton of orange juice. She began to unscrew the cap as she turned toward the cupboard with the glasses and cups in it - and she finally caught sight of me.

"Holy crap!" she gasped, dropping the carton in surprise and causing half of the liquid to spill onto the floor.

"Ah - sorry," I stammered, incredibly tired as I hurried out of the chair and grabbed some napkins off the counter to help soak up the orange juice.

"You surprised me, that's all," Pirika said, putting the carton on the counter and getting more napkins.

When the mess was finally cleaned up and the napkins were in the trash, Pirika pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I didn't expect you to be up…" She blinked and took in my attire, and her face lit up a bit. "You're actually dressed today - you're not in your pajamas."

Pirika's smile was slightly contagious. "Yeah… Today's it."

Pirika's face fell; she didn't need me to explain. "Do you want me to get everyone together?"

I shook my head. "I'll let them come at their own time… I'm sure word'll get around. I just…don't want the other Patch here, aside from my mother."

Pirika nodded. "I get that. Do you want me to wait with you?" she offered.

I couldn't help but feel touched. "If you want to… Feel free to get some breakfast," I said as I sat back down.

"All right," Pirika agreed, turning back toward the cabinets and pulling out some cereal. Soon, she was sitting at my right side, chewing away on her food and occasionally casting glances at me.

The first to come in was my mother. With one look, she understood, and quickly came to sit on my other side. She reached out to hold my hand, but hesitated and began to pull back. Before her hand could go too far, I grasped it and gave it a small squeeze before pulling both of my hands into my lap.

Tamao blearily came into the room next, followed by Ponchi and Conchi. The two spirits got a glint in their eyes before disappearing - no doubt to spread the news - and the Asakura apprentice blinked a couple of times as she assessed the situation. Embarrassedly, she began to back out, but she bumped into Faust.

The doctor placed a kind hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Well, how are you feeling this morning, Tori-kun?" he asked.

"Well enough to say a few things," I replied quietly. I looked to Tamao. "Stay," I offered, though I think it came out a little more commandingly than I intended. Tamao blushed slightly, not quite knowing what to do, but before she could do anything, Faust spoke up again.

"Will we have enough room in here for everyone?"

"The living room is big enough," Shima said, rising out of her chair. Pirika and I followed, and the five of us (plus Eliza, whom I hadn't seen behind Faust), went to the living room. Immediately, I claimed one of the single chairs, tucking my feet up so that I could try to make myself a bit warmer…and to somehow protect myself, though it was futile.

Jun and Pailong came next, followed closely by Anna; Jun sat next to Pirika on the couch (Pailong opting to stand behind it) while Anna took one of the more comfortable chairs on the far end, near Faust, whom was sitting on the loveseat with Eliza. Jun looked concerned, while Anna remained indifferent.

"Yohmei-san, Kino-san, and Mikihisa-san are around," she informed us, tucking her feet up as well, "but they said it was better for them not to come."

As she finished speaking, Chocolove, Lyserg, and Ryu entered the room (Ryu hurried to sit beside Jun, and I noticed Pailong bristle slightly). All three had some sort of bandage on; Lyserg's left arm was in a cast. He and Chocolove looked around slightly awkwardly, neither one wanting to get that close to Anna or to where a possible brawl could break out between Pailong and Ryu, and they settled on two chairs between me and Anna - Lyserg scurried to get the one that wasn't right next to the itako.

"Should I get more chairs?" Faust offered politely, noting that it was getting slightly crowded.

"I won't be sitting," Ren said as he entered the room, leaning against the far wall and facing me, although he pointedly ignored my look by closing his eyes and crossing his arms. Just seeing him made my stomach tie into knots, and I stared at my lap, praying to the Great Spirits I wasn't reddening with shame and embarrassment.

"Sorry," Yoh gasped, hurrying into the room with Manta; the Asakura looked disheveled. "I fell asleep at the table."

"Straight into his bowl of rice," Manta added as he followed Yoh to sit on the couch. It was a comfortable fit, with Manta being as small as he was.

"Did we miss anything?" Yoh asked, looking worried but giving me a reassuring smile all the same. There were a few grains of rice in his hair.

"I haven't started," I explained quietly.

Manta started to do a headcount, but Pirika beat him to it. "Onii-chan isn't here yet." Unintentionally, she cast a glance at me. "We should wait."

I felt a pang of guilt. Maybe HoroHoro wasn't going to come, if he really had heard me practically yell out that I didn't return his feelings. I couldn't blame him; I think I'd do that if I were in his shoes. If I felt the same way about him, and that I deserved him, I'd return his feelings in a heartbeat - it would be so much easier than this…this infatuation I had with Ren that probably only existed because the Tao was rather similar to Nix in character.

The next few minutes stretched out for what felt like forever until the sound pounding footsteps sounded nearby and HoroHoro burst into the room, panting. Ponchi and Conchi popped into existence behind him, sniggering at his state.

"S…sorry… I ran," he gasped. Eliza quickly stood up and guided the Ainu to where she had sat, and then she went to sit on the armrest beside Faust.

The silence in the room was broken only by HoroHoro's pants, which were quickly becoming slower and more regular. My mouth felt very dry, and I swallowed as I began to wring my hands nervously.

In true Yoh fashion, the Asakura leaned forward. "If you don't wanna talk today, you don't have to."

"After we all took the time to get here?" Anna deadpanned.

I immediately shook my head in response to Yoh. I was used to Anna's comments. "I just don't know where to start."

"The beginning works," Anna pointed out, resting her chin in her hand, as if she were bored.

I sighed. "I was lied to, too," I admitted, looking down at my lap. I plowed on, wanting nothing more than to get through this as fast as possible. "I was told that I owed my life to the Great Spirits, but I really owe it to my original mother. I was told that I existed to help the Shaman King, but my furyoku was absolutely nothing. I was useless." I gripped the edge of my dress, my knuckles white, trying and failing to keep my emotions down. "I went through generations of endless servitude for a lie given to me by my own spirit ally, and I never saw through any of it…!"

_Nix_…

Saying all of this out loud for the first time was even harder than I had originally thought. My voice was becoming shrill, and I struggled to keep it somewhat normal-sounding. Instead, it shook, with sadness and anger and angst, and I kept speaking faster and faster. "I only exist in the first place because my original mother prayed for me to live. Live. And apparently, in her mind, no one can really live unless someone else loves you enough to choose you over themselves. And that thought turned into the fact that I couldn't feel anything until my last life when Tai and I died when he tried to push me out of the way of a car and-"

Without warning I broke out into a coughing fit, and I doubled over, putting my hands in front of my mouth to somehow stop it. My throat felt dry and cracked and overused, and each cough just made it itch more. Vaguely, I heard some of the others speak, and soon someone wrenched my hand away from my face and placed a small block of freezing ice in my palm. The sudden cold shocked me enough for me to stop coughing, and like a child I popped the small chunk in my mouth and started sucking on it. Nearly immediately, my throat felt better.

"Are you all right, Catori?" my mother asked, reaching forward and putting a hand on my shoulder.

I nodded, my head still bent toward my knees.

"Do you need more ice?" HoroHoro asked, and I belatedly realized that he was standing in front of me.

I shook my head. Their concern made my chest tighten in guilt.

HoroHoro stood there for a moment more before he quickly shuffled back to his seat.

"…Excuse me," Pailong spoke up, "but…did you say 'Tai'?"

There were sounds of confusion as the others looked to him, and I felt some of the tension from being stared at drain out of me. I sat back up and gave Pailong the best smile I could muster, which wasn't very good. "That's right." I had to cough slightly again. "In my last life, Wei Tai was my older brother. I, Maylin, only met you once or twice, though."

Silence. Then:

"Wha?"

"You knew Pailong?"

"I'm confused!"

"So _you_ were the girl from the article!"

Manta's comment stumped me, and I looked to him, as did the others. "What?" I asked.

Manta went digging through his backpack, pulling out his laptop and beginning to type furiously. "A couple years ago, I was reading up on Pailong online, and I came across an article about how a recurring henchman character, Wei Tai, who they mentioned as being friends with Pailong, had died when he and his sister got hit by a car. There was an obituary and everything, but I never thought until now that you looked like her… Here it is," he said, and Yoh, Ryu, Pailong, Chocolove, Ponchi, and Conchi all crowded around behind him, taking up all the available space so that even Kororo couldn't take a look.

Ryu's face took on a slight tinge, and I had the urge to kick him - at the same time, that feeling was both familiar and unfamiliar. "She looks like she could be your sister - or… you could be your own sister…" He blinked in confusion.

Pailong shook his head in disbelief. "I thought I recognized you at one point, but I knew you couldn't be Maylin, you're too young." He paused. "I didn't know Tai died."

"You're eyes look like you're stoned," Ponchi pointed out, indicating the picture, and he and Conchi laughed while Tamao sputtered at them to be quiet.

"Does this even matter?" Ren asked, so pointedly that I felt like he had stabbed me with the words. "You all are ignoring what she said."

HoroHoro whipped around. "Would you stop being so bossy?"

"Stop being a fool."

"You-"

"Be quiet, you two," Pirika snapped. She huffed. "Honestly."

"Sorry for getting us off track," Manta apologized sheepishly, shutting his laptop and stowing it in his backpack again.

"It's all right," I murmured, looking back down at my lap. I tried to smile. "Ponchi's comment on my eyes was only a little off-target, I guess. My mother's prayer made it so that I could only ever be truly free if the Shaman King decided not to kill me, but the wording was kinda vague, I guess, and since Tai tried to save me, that at least made it so that I had emotions." I swallowed, trying to subdue a lump in my throat. "And I realized, when I met you all, that I had been…starved, I guess, so I lied to you all, and clung to you all as long as I could because for once I felt like I had friends…" I shook my head. I hated saying all this; it felt like I was giving out this long sob-story, and every moment I felt more vulnerable. "I was terrible for lying to you all. I knew all about Hao - and he knew about me because he used to be a Patch - and I knew about the Shaman Fight and I never told you, and if I had really valued you all I would've told you everything before all this happened."

"You can't have had a choice, though," Faust pointed out. "I don't know what to say about the others, but if Anna hadn't brought Eliza back to me, I'm afraid to say I would have done anything I could to get your furyoku."

"If word had gotten out…" Manta trailed off with a shudder, and for a few moments nothing was said.

"Does this mean Hao freed you, since he ended up not taking your furyoku?" Yoh asked. "I mean, I know the furyoku wasn't needed - but you're talking, so I'm assuming you're free."

"Not to mention the fact that her mark is gone, and she seems to not have her telepathy anymore," Anna noted blandly.

"It is? But I never got to see it," Ryu protested, but he was silenced by the glare Shima sent him.

"But that would mean Hao was actually the Shaman King," Lyserg pointed out. "No offense, Yoh, but the Great Spirits must've been fighting him, since he didn't take the time to win. If he really was the Shaman King, I don't think any of us could have come close to defeating him," he finished, slightly bitterly.

"You're right, Lyserg," I agreed, feeling my hands becoming sweaty. "I… I'm sorry, but I really can't tell you everything about this next part - not because I don't want to, but it shouldn't be up to me to say - but…um…" I put my elbow on the armrest and put my head in my hand, closing my eyes. "So… I used to give the Shaman King my furyoku through…lip contact…" - at this, Ponchi and Conchi sniggered and Tamao shushed them furiously - "…and I accidentally gave a small bit of furyoku to someone, technically naming them Shaman King. And since that person, quote, 'didn't kill me for the rest of it,' that person was the one who freed me."

A stunned, awkward silence met my words. I could hear their brains working, jumping to conclusions…

"That's all I'm going to tell you about that," I said forcefully, raising my head only slightly so that they could see my determination. "It was my fault, and it wasn't something terrible that happened. The only way you'll know what happened is if that person decides to talk about it. There is absolutely no way I am telling you who that person is unless that person tells me to do so."

I kept my eyes still. I wasn't going to look at Ren and give everything away. I didn't hate him for rejecting me - he was right in doing so, even if I couldn't help but feel so confused about it. No, I felt grateful to him. It may have happened inadvertently, but he was the reason why I was free. He wouldn't want me to call him out on this.

"The only thing left to talk about," I continued, wanting very much to change the subject, "is that I no longer have my telepathy, Nix passed on because he told me I don't need him anymore, and I don't have healing abilities… Although if I gain enough furyoku, it's possible I could use oversoul to heal. It's not hard. You could do it easily, Faust."

I couldn't think of anything more to say. Maybe I forgot something. I didn't know. I felt relieved to have gotten it all off of my chest, but I was still afraid of their reactions. I stood up.

"What are you doing?" HoroHoro asked confusedly.

"Feel free to talk amongst yourselves. If you have any other questions, ask them later," I said tiredly, hating all the stares I was getting as I made my way toward the doorway. I avoided looking at Ren, whom was leaning on the wall right beside it. "I have to go talk to the Patch… And I need to ask them something."

I thought for sure that someone would yell out a question, but when I left they were all silent.

()()()()()()

I sat cross-legged on the cool floor, my hands folded as I waited with my head bent, my eyes closed. I couldn't mess this up. I had to do what I wanted to do, and get what I wanted to get.

I looked back up at the Patch priests; each one sat in the same manner as I did, and directly across from me was Goldva, looking thoughtful. The only ones not present were Nichrom and Jink, who I had been told had disappeared - they probably fled, the bastards. Instead of leaving their usual spaces empty, the circle was instead completed by two new priests, men only a few years older than me. At least I didn't have to look at Nichrom's ugly face anymore.

Goldva's old eyes met mine. "And that's everything? Your furyoku for the Shaman King was absolutely useless, a lie to all of us all along?"

I nodded. "Yes. I was indebted to my original mother, not to the Great Spirits. I wasn't needed." I noticed the looks on some of the priests' faces; even after my explanation, none of them were used to my verbal communication.

"But-" Silva broke off slightly, but continued strongly. "Why is it all happening now? Is it because of Hao?"

I nodded, very slightly. "In a way. I'm afraid…I can't - won't - tell you who, but I accidentally gave someone just a small bit of the furyoku, and since that person never killed me for the rest of it before Hao took the Great Spirits, I'm free."

Small sounds of shock echoed from most of the priests - maybe I did just tell them all the truth, but they were still unused to the idea that I was useless. Before they could speak up, I raised my head up fully and looked at all of them. "I'll say I was reckless, and that I hid what I did even from myself. But it caused me to be free now, and it's something I'll never take back."

_Even if it did cost me Nix_…

I steeled myself, knowing that if I stopped talking now, I might never gain the courage again. "There's something else I would like to discuss with you all."

Confusion made some of the priests blink. Goldva pulled his pipe out of his mouth and looked at me sideways. "What is it?"

I took a breath. "I'm not going to call you all bad people. But though I have called you brothers, I don't feel that way. I can't live among people who fear the Great Spirits' will more than they fear the wellbeing of one of their own, and I can't forgive you for leaving me to the X-Laws - not that any of you wanted to, I'm sure," I added, noticing Silva's look. "I request to be expelled from the Patch."

A jumble of words bubbled out from the priests in protest and confusion. They still didn't know how to react to the information that I wasn't needed, I knew, that we all had been lied to. The Great Spirits may have sent word that I was useless now, but these men had been taught all their lives that the Shaman King needed me.

"Catori," Goldva began, and everyone instantly quieted.. "Please, justify your request."

"I'm not needed anymore," I said simply. "The Great Spirits already said it. A-and I think my being here, as I am now…" I trailed off, unable to put that thought into words. "The Great Spirits told you, just a few days ago, that I'm not needed anymore. My debt's gone. And… I may have Patch blood, but I've been born in every other country and race imaginable… And I feel - I know - I was only really treated with respect here not because I earned it myself, but because of my debt. My usefulness. It was never anything I wanted."

The table was silent as Goldva studied me for a moment.

"You are our kin," he said finally, expelling a small cloud of his pipe smoke from his nostrils. "But other than that, I see no reason to argue with you; the Great Spirits themselves said you are free. I warn you, though - it could very well be impossible for us to accept you that way again, unless the Great Spirits will it so. And we must come to an agreement on this: if the Great Spirits say that you are needed, you will come back."

I nodded. "Yes."

"Do you really want to do this?"

I only hesitated because of I felt like this was far too easy. "Yes."

Goldva nodded in resignation. "Is there any debate among the priests?"

"Where will you even go?" Silva asked immediately. "Because of your eventual sacrifice and our separation from most normal humans, we never even documented your birth to the government. You don't exist to them. We only got to Japan because we oversouled there."

I looked at Silva. Since I had been freed, I had felt empty. So, even though the saying I was about to repeat was usually said with optimism, my voice fell flat.

"It'll all work out, Silva-chan."

There was more silence before Goldva spoke again. "Before we can agree to this, you must know the conditions. First, you must swear upon the word of the Great Spirits that you will not utter a single word about the past, present, or future goings on of the priests' meetings; no word of Patch secrets at all, or else action against you will be taken. Second, you must still abide by the Great Spirits' wishes. And lastly, while we will still be hospitable to you, you will never be able to reenter the tribe. Do you agree to the terms?"

I had thought about this moment for what felt like forever, even though I had only fully decided upon doing this that morning, after I had argued with Ren. Since I had woken up, it had been in the back of my mind that not only could I be free of my debt, I could be free of the Patch, even if they weren't at fault for anything except undying loyalty to the Great Spirits, but it had taken Ren's question of "What do you want" to make me fully realize it.

"Am I a Patch secret anymore?"

Goldva and the other priests looked among each other, most of them uncomfortable but unable to come up with anything to say. Finally, Goldva looked back at me. "Not anymore."

"Then I agree."

Goldva closed his eyes for a moment before piercing me with a stare. "As we cannot find reasonable argument against this request, you, Catori, daughter of Dakota and Shima, are hereby expelled from the Patch Tribe."

I dipped my head, and I blinked back tears. Now, I only belonged to myself. "Thank you."

"If there is nothing else for you to say, you are dismissed from this meeting. We priests must discuss what to do next. You may keep your Oracle Bell, in case we must contact you."

Nodding, I stood and stepped back from the circle, walking around it to get to the doorway. I ignored all the looks that the priests gave me, though I could feel their stares as I left.

()()()()()()

The streets of Patch village felt foreign and alien to me as I walked. Eventually, I had to get back to my…my mother's house, but I could take my time. I'd let the others think about things a little more. I had plenty to think about as well.  
_I don't belong to you,_ I thought as I stopped walking, looking up at the surrounding Patch village. _I don't belong to anyone. I'm here because of Namas, and because of Nix, but they're not going to define what I become. _How_, _why_, and _who_: those answers will change every single minute, because I belong to myself…_

I took a breath, and promised myself then and there that I would do my absolute best not to use anyone anymore. I belonged to myself, and I could rely on myself. Maybe I did love Ren, or maybe that was all because I was lonely, but in either case I wasn't going to cling to anyone anymore.

Filled with a new resolve, I took a step forward, heading back toward my mother's house.

()()()()()()

When I finally got back to the house, it was a little after midday. I was starving, so I moved as quietly as possible through the house into the kitchen. It felt awkward; Jun and Pailong were in the living room with Tamao, Ponchi, Conchi, and my mother.

Shima looked up at me. "Catori... How'd it go?"

"I asked to be expelled from the Patch. They couldn't find any argument, so they agreed."

All four were speechless, though Ponchi and Conchi quickly popped out of the room like they had that morning, off to tell the world. I avoided their eyes and headed toward the kitchen.

I didn't want to make anything, so I just pulled out a box of cereal from the cabinet. I managed to get through nearly an entire bowl in about five minutes before the sound of footsteps betrayed the approach of my mother.

"Are... are you serious, Catori?" she asked incredulously, standing in the doorway.

I put my spoon down. "Yes." I looked up at her, straight in the eye. "Mother... Mom," I amended. The word sounded strange on my tongue. "I just can't be a Patch anymore. I just can't." I stood up and walked over to her, hesitating a moment before I gave her a small hug. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to be a good daughter..." I whispered. I pulled back, doing my best to give her a smile, and then retreated to my room.

I turned, making to close my door, but a sudden sound made me pause. Confused, I opened the door more, only to jump back in surprise as HoroHoro barged in. Completely taken aback, I watched as HoroHoro, an unreadable, hard look on his face, turned and closed the door behind him before giving me his full attention.

"Why did you break off with the Patch?" he asked, his voice as hard as his face, although for once it was quiet.

Still shocked by his sudden appearance, I stood there with my heart hammering in my chest. "...W-what are... What're you doing in here?" I stammered.

HoroHoro sighed and put a hand up to his hair; for the first time, I noticed it wasn't as spiked as it usually was - right now, it looked as if he had bangs. "Tori... Please tell me. Please."

I shakily sat down on the bed, unnerved by the Ainu. This was the first time I'd really been _alone_ with him - had an actual _conversation_ with just him, actually - since he'd confessed (there also was the time when he shielded me at the Gate, by we had been far from alone). I felt my pulse quickening, and I felt very warm.

"I...I'm not really one of them, HoroHoro," I started, feeling very uncomfortable. "And they don't need me..." I tightened a fist. "I...can't belong to a people who fear their god so much that they can't come help one of their own..."

HoroHoro seemed to know that I was mentioning the Babylon Gate, because recognition flashed in his eyes. He crossed his arms. "Are you running away from them?"

I blinked. "Wha - no!" I stammered. "Why would I run away from them?"

HoroHoro's face finally broke from its hardness. Now, he looked...hurt. "You...never mind," he said quickly, looking away for a moment.

My uncomfortness was forgotten and was replaced by concern. "What, Horo?"

The Ainu's jaw worked for a second. "It felt like you ran away from us." He looked directly at me. "Tori... I was so concerned for you. I know you don't feel the same way, but... I love you."

I had known this, but hearing the words come out of his mouth sent a shock wave through me. I couldn't begin to decipher them, although it all came out in hostility.

"What do you love, HoroHoro?" I asked harshly. "The lies or the liar?"

The Ainu was taken aback by my tone, and he frowned in all seriousness. He took a step closer to me. "It wasn't all a lie, Tori. I love you. I care about you. I want to help you."

I wrapped my arms around my middle protectively and looked away, thinking of how easy it would be to just accept HoroHoro's feelings. Why couldn't I do that? Why had I tried to replace Nix with Ren? Why did this all matter so much _now_?

"I... I can't think about how you feel right now, Horo," I muttered, a thought blossoming in the back of my mind. "I...not now..."

"I understand," HoroHoro said immediately, but so quietly it sounded as if he were afraid of scaring a wild animal. "But..." he began after a moment, "can you tell me... Why did you..." His voice shook very, very slightly. "Why did you try to kill yourself back there?"

"I wasn't going to let Hao use me to hurt you all... Even though he would've been able to without me," I added bitterly. Sudden depression rose within me without warning, and I wanted very much to cry. I kept my face turned away from HoroHoro's. "Can you... please leave?"

HoroHoro hesitated. "If you need me, I'm here," he said. The door opened, and he walked out before closing it behind him.

Immediately, I did my best to swallow my sadness and I stood, heading toward the desk in the corner by the window. I opened the barely-used drawer and pulled out a sheet of lined paper, and a pencil. I sat down, and then I began to write about everything, in case I had left some detail out earlier (though I still excluded Ren's involvement). At the bottom, I put this:


	64. The World

**DISCLAIMER: Shaman King is not mine, I own only my OCs.**

_So tired - I stayed up til 2am finishing this story. Boy, am I sad... But it's the month-aversary, and it's taken 11 months exactly for this story to be posted and finished! *claps* I hope you enjoy. I can't think of much to say, so I'll let you go on. I'll have plenty to say in the notes for the epilogue._

**Sixty-Two: The World**

_I can't stay here. I have to move on. I broke off with the Patch. I told you everything. I wrote down everything. I don't know if I can last one more day here._

_Forgive me._

_-Tori_

_P.S. If you must contact me, here's an email address I made a long time ago for the hell of it, and I still have my Oracle Bell._

()()()()()()

I had a backpack (Patch-made) stuffed with a couple sets of clothes, a couple boxes of non-perishable foods (and granola bars), several bottles of water, and one hundred of the U.S. dollars my mother stashed in case of a national emergency (even though the Patch barely kept in contact with the government). Other than that, I had just the clothes on my back, and my Oracle Bell.

I had collected all these things in the middle of the night, somehow managing to not wake up anyone`- though for all I knew, one of the spirits could've been watching me, and the boys could be on my trail at that very moment. It had taken me a full hour to sneak out of Patch Village, mostly due to my paranoia that someone was watching me. Since then, I'd been walking in a straight line for just a little over an hour.

I knew I was being stupid. I knew that it was highly likely that my dry, vulture-picked carcass was going to be found in a week. I may have been of Patch blood, but I knew little of survival in the desert, especially without oversoul help. Even if the boys and I had traveled it before, I had little chance to get through it by myself. I doubted I would even make it to the road, and if I did, how could I hitchhike? There was the small possibility that Billy would pick me up, but the only people who would pick up an emotionally-unstable fifteen-year-old girl were rapists. (I might as well be truthful with myself, as there was no one and no lies to protect me now.)

On top of this, I also had no identity in America. How was I supposed to get a job or a home if my birth had never been documented to the government? I was a nameless face that would probably end up trying to share a cardboard box with a homeless person if I made it out of this dry expanse of dirt.

A beep suddenly startled me, and it took me a second to realize that it was the Oracle Bell - I had tethered it around the strap of my bag. Hesitantly, I took it and looked at the lit-up screen that proclaimed _MESSAGE: USUI HOROHORO._ I stared at the Oracle Bell, unsure of what to do (obviously, they had found out that I was gone), before I hurriedly stuffed it into my bag under the pile of clothes and zipped the bag shut; this didn't completely quiet the beeping, but it muffled enough of the sound so that the Oracle Bell was ignorable, and I could almost forget about why it was beeping in the first place.

I wished I knew what exactly I was trying to do. I was pretty sure that I didn't come out here just to be buzzard-food, but at this point I was unsure about the level of my sanity. Still, however, I stubbornly plowed on through the early-morning desert.

The sun had yet to rise, but the sky was greying toward dawn, and hints of pink also started to appear. On the far horizon, the dark land blurred against the slightly cloudy air. The ground under my flats (not good footwear choice for traveling, by the way) was hard and dusty, so small clouds of dirt rose when I walked. I felt like there was nothing but endless dirt in every direction, like I was the only person in existence.

_Wouldn't that be nice?_

For a moment, that idea felt wonderful: if I had known no one, none of this pain would be in my heart. But then I realized that that idea was false, and that life was a cruel bitch, and even if I wanted to I could never forget anything that had happened.

A pang of sadness threatened to overtake me before I reminded myself firmly that I was moving on. _Nobody's going to answer your thoughts, Tori, so don't even try._

The sun suddenly emerged from behind the edge of the earth ahead of me, and I stopped abruptly as I was momentarily blinded. The morning sun wasn't that strong, but I hadn't been expecting it.

_It's so pretty, _I thought as the sky around the sun turned from greyish-pink to light blue. After being stuck in the underground Patch Village so long… _The sunrise rivals the Great Spirits… And to think, I thought that I would never be able to see it with these eyes again…_

"You would have seen it with new eyes."

I nodded. _Yes…but I like this better…_

Abruptly, I realized that I had just responded to someone when I had spoken out loud… And that person had commented on my thoughts. Though I knew whom the voice had to belong to, it was still a shock when I turned around.

Hao, though looking his usual smug, had obviously seen better days. He looked battered and tired, his hair dirty and caked with something ominously dark. His clothes were torn and gore-spattered, while parts of his skin were bruised (not to mention his eyes were bloodshot and had bags under them), but the most prominent feature of all was the scar that vertically split his face in two and was most noticeable on his forehead; it trailed down his neck, and I had the sneaking suspicion that it continued down his chest underneath his poncho.

I gaped like a fish.

"Thought I was dead?" Hao asked in a deadpan, hitting my thoughts like one would a bull's-eye. He took a step closer, peering at me with curiosity and confusion. "I know what you think," he stated.

The words seemed to hold a pronounced meaning; however, I was too flabbergasted to comprehend. Finally: "H-huh?"

"You speak, too," Hao muttered, "though your bird isn't here. Oh," he wont on, some sort of weird pity entering his voice. "I'm sorry for your loss."

I felt like everything was spinning; the world was moving too fast for me to understand what was going on. _Hao? Here? Alive? I mean, I told Yoh that there was the possibility that Hao was alive, but…_ "W-wait a minute. E-explain," I stammered.

Hao raised an eyebrow. "I was going to ask you to do the same, but I'll cut you some slack. Of course, there was no way Yoh could have killed me; his last blow was a fluke to even wound me. Spirit of Fire took me away and helped me nurse my wounds. I had enough furyoku to give him enough power to get me sustenance…as for this scar, I can easily get rid of it. I can't quite decide, however, whether I would prefer Yoh's reaction of seeing me like this, or without any wound at all. And here we stand - I was resting just over there," he said, jerking his head toward an outcropping of rock some thirty feet behind him. He looked me square in the eye. "And you? You may think it all if you wish - I would like to know how I am able to use my reishi on you."

I couldn't _not _think about everything that had happened. _Absolutely _everything that I had gone through since the Babylon Gate incident. The lies I had told, the lies I had _been _told, Nix, the truth, the concealment of Ren's involvement, my explanation, my break-off with the Patch, my talk with HoroHoro, my running away…

For once, Hao seemed surprised. "You weren't needed? Then I needn't have waited for you…" He turned to look over his shoulder. "You gave her bird his power. How could you not tell me about her?"

Spirit of Fire appeared; not in its giant form, but it resembled that as it stood at about Ryu's height. It dipped its head apologetically, sadly.

It occurred to me then that Spirit of Fire was the creature that had stripped Nix bare of power - and it struck me like a train wreck that without his power, Nix would have faded even if I hadn't been freed.

Spirit of Fire had essentially created Nix, and had had a hand in destroying him as well…

Despite this, I couldn't feel hate for Spirit of Fire - not even for Hao at that moment, whom had done so many terrible things other than proclaiming the order to get me, resulting in Nix's sacrifice. I was so tired of hating - though I couldn't help but hate myself, as if somehow Nix's passing was my fault even though it all traced back to my original mother (in technicality, to the Great Spirits themselves, but that was another matter). I hated myself for the lies to everyone…but I couldn't take that anger out on Spirit of Fire. After all…without it, I wouldn't have ever even met Nix…

I took a step forward; Hao eyed me as I stared at Spirit of Fire. Hesitantly, I held out my hand and placed it on Spirit of Fire's forehead.

"Thank you…for Nix," I murmured. In response, Spirit of Fire's expression turned downcast, and I understood that it regretted its actions, even if it was incredibly used to killing others and digesting their souls. Slicing into Nix must've been akin to killing a son.

I turned to Hao. "Why can't you trust people? What makes humans so wretched?"

Hao stared at me. "They're liars, for one."

I flinched. "Yes," I admitted, "but there must be something that happened to make you want to destroy everyone. You can't have not loved anyone."

"Remember when I told you that the world is more important than any one person?" he asked seriously, completely ignoring my last point. "People don't know that. They have been destroying this planet for generations. I'm doing this to protect the world."

"That's not it," I argued. "There's something else." I suddenly sighed, defeated. "There's no way you'll tell me. But Hao, not everyone is terrible. You should see Yoh - I don't know if he's slept at since he thinks he killed you - he even collapsed into his breakfast yesterday, he's so tired! He never wanted to hurt you at all; he only wanted to stop you, but you were too far gone to reason with. He's your brother, why would he be out to get you?"

Hao huffed. "That didn't stop him from trying to split me in half."

"They're all good people, Hao," I protested, feeling somewhat sick at the thought of Hao not realizing how wonderful people could be - shaman or otherwise.

Hao rolled his eyes; they flashed with some memory he wasn't telling me. "Tori-chan-"

"Give people a chance, Hao!" I pleaded. I didn't want Hao to keep killing. I didn't want to have reason again to hate anyone other than myself. "Yoh's changed so many people - me, Ren, Ryu - just try!"

"What makes you think you can convince me?" Hao asked. "This is like when you were trying to kill yourself - your argument isn't going to win."

"You said so yourself that the world is more important than any one person!" I shot back without any conscious thought. "And I was willing to kill myself because those people _are _my world!"

"If they're your 'world,' why're you running away from them?"

The gravity of what I'd said seemed to suddenly crush me. My world…my friends… I loved them all more than anything…

"Because I love them," I murmured, even though I knew Hao could hear my thoughts loud and clear. "I don't want to be a burden… I don't want them to reject me." To my horror, I choked on a sob. "I don't want to lose them like I lost Nix…"

"So obviously, you're running away before they get the chance to run away from you." Hao crossed his arms. "You're like a scared animal-"

"Shut up, Hao," I snapped abruptly, defensively. I didn't want to hear more about myself. I knew I was a terrible person already; he didn't need to tell me about it. "You have no right to say this. You're just as lonely as I am, aren't you? You have no one besides Spirit of Fire, and you stole it in the first place!"

"I don't need anyone," Hao shot back. "Most of my followers were never entirely loyal - even if I didn't have reishi, it was obvious that they were afraid of me."

At that point, I finally, completely broke down. "D-damn it, Hao," I cried, "we're both fucking broken, aren't we? We're both terrible, shitty people." My knees gave out, and I fell to the ground onto my hands and knees; I didn't know or care how Hao reacted, but he didn't stop me.

I didn't care what happened to Hao right then. For all I gave a shit about right then, Spirit of Fire could burn his soul to nothing and I wouldn't do anything about it. All I wanted was to feel whole again. I wanted all these problems to go away and leave me the hell alone. I felt as if I had been a sheet of glass a moment ago, and now I was splintering apart, some pieces falling away slowly while others fell at light speed.

"I'm not broken," Hao said finally, forcefully.

I glared up at him, losing more fragments of myself. "Don't fucking lie. I know I don't know anything behind your decisions, but lying…" _It made me…lonely…_

Hao's look had turned into a fierce glare. "Losing your bird has made you delusional."

The truth in his words made me even more defensive. I had to try and keep myself together, but it was like fighting the sunrise. "Why are you here, Hao?" I all but screeched. "I can't help you; Yoh'll be able to, but I certainly can't!"

"I don't need help," the Asakura hissed. "Least of all from you or Yoh." He huffed and took a step back. "I merely picked up your thoughts and was curious. I'll leave you to tell Yoh I'm still around, but don't expect me to be so lenient the next time-"

"Wait!" I pleaded.

Hao lifted an eyebrow, unimpressed. "What?" he deadpanned.

I felt as if I was going to completely and totally lose my mind if I was alone, like I was teetering on the edge of my sanity. "Where are you going?" I asked, half-whispering.

Hao obviously must've known just how far gone I was. He squatted down to my eye level, resting his elbows on his knees. "I'm going to go and wait. I may have been impatient for the Great Spirits before, but I can learn from that. I can wait longer." His tone grew inquiring and mocking. "Why do you want to know, Tori-chan? Wanna come with me?"

Without warning, my brain registered Hao as Yoh, and I almost said yes. The feeling passed quickly, but it left my mind reeling in confusion. I didn't respond.

Hao must've known, again, what was going through my conscious mind. "Tori-chan, something is _very _off about you," he commented. "Perhaps dear Dr. Faust or a therapist should take a look at you. I wouldn't want you to get suicidal again."

"I'm not suicidal!" I snapped.

"Not at the moment, no," Hao admitted. "But perhaps you'll feel differently later." He blinked, as if noticing something for the first time, and looked at my bag. "I believe your Oracle Bell's beeping… has it been for a while? Perhaps you should get it. I'd hate to keep you from an important message."

"Fuck off," I muttered, my head whirling. "They're just wondering where I am; since we got to the village I've had to stay away from them."

Hao raised an eyebrow, catching my slip. "Tori-chan, you do realize that that was a while ago?" he pointed out.

Realizing that he was right made me both angry and scared. I felt like I was spinning. The pieces of myself were falling away even faster now - I had begun to forget where I was. There was only one clear thought in my mind, and I used that as a center to keep myself as grounded as possible. I repeated it in my head like a mantra.

"'They're my world,'" Hao repeated. He shook his head. "Your mind is a messy place. I don't like it that much." He made a slight face and stood up. "If you remember, tell Yoh he'll never be able to kill me, though he should hopefully know that."

It took me a second to realize that Hao was leaving. Bastard or not, having someone here was keeping me sane. "Don't leave," I pleaded, struggling to my feet. I felt pitiful and small by begging him like this, but I preferred it over what might happen to me if I were alone.

"Your 'friends' can't be that far away, and I don't really feel like dealing with them just yet. I'd rather surprise them when the Fight is reinstated," Hao said. "Till next time, Tori-chan."

He began to disappear in a swirl of flames with Spirit of Fire. Panicked at the thought of being left alone with nothing but my failing mind, I reached out to try and stop him, only to stick my hand straight into a flame. Immediately, I pulled it back out, screaming and crying and cradling my hand, stabs of pain shooting from my hand. I hardly noticed Hao was gone. I hardly noticed curling into some sort of protective position on the ground. In fact, I forgot about absolutely everything except for the pain.

I had no recollection of the time it took for HoroHoro, Lyserg, Yoh, Faust, Ryu, Ren and Chocolove to appear by giant oversoul, which had cut their traveling time greatly - not to mention Lyserg's dowsing capabilities must have aided them. HoroHoro and Faust approached me quickest, the Ainu kneeling by my side and asking me questions I didn't understand while Faust gently but firmly pulled my arm toward him, inspecting my burn. He exchanged a terrified look with the others.

"Who did this to you, Tori?" HoroHoro asked instantly, his voice probably more commanding than he meant it to be.

"Accident," I mumbled, wincing as Faust took out a first-aid kit and began cleaning my burn.

Someone leaned down into my field of vision, and I squeaked in fear at Hao's face, my flesh throbbing. Hao appeared startled, and through my muddled thoughts I locked eyes with him and realized that it was Yoh.

I looked to Yoh, square in the eye, and finally found some voice. "I was right," I whispered. After I said it, I couldn't remember what I was right about.

I didn't understand how Yoh understood, or even heard my croaking voice, but comprehension dawned in his eyes; an odd mixture of relief and fright was also apparent in the dark pupils. To see that blend made my insides shatter further, for seeing Yoh scared, even if only for an instant…

"Hao," the Asakura muttered, and even I could hear the confirmation in his tone.

I shook my head. "He…didn't attack…my fault…" I was losing the small amount of sense I still had, and I clung to it as best as I could. What had I wanted to say? There was something I needed… "I… _need _help."

"Don't worry, Tori-kun," Faust assured me, beginning to wrap my hand in bandages. "You're-"

I grabbed Faust's arm with my good hand. "I need _help,_ Faust," I pleaded. I leaned toward him, desperate for him to understand. "D-doctors," I stammered, my voice nearly incoherent. "N-not like you - th-the other ones."

Faust nodded, responding with the ease of one well practiced. "Of course, Tori-kun," he said kindly, like he was talking to a child. "A specialist will help you wonders."

Relief left me still shaky. "T-thank you," letting go of his arm reluctantly. With that last thought keeping me together gone, the metaphorical glass shards in my mind dropped away completely, and time seemed to implode in on itself.

()()()()()()

I wasn't very aware of the time going by - hours or days, I wasn't sure - but before I knew what was going on, I was on a Tao plane with everyone. I could just recall a tense goodbye with my mother, but I wasn't sure of when that had taken place. Everything was a major blur, but I was especially aware of the sky and the clouds and the ground far, far below…

"Like the clouds, Tori-nee-chan?" someone asked beside me, and I turned to notice, for the first time, that Pirika was sitting in the seat next to me. The Ainu girl was smiling, and in turn that made me smile.

"Yeah…," I replied. A sudden spurt of realization hit me. "Where are we?" I asked abruptly.

HoroHoro suddenly turned around in the seat in front of us. "It's all right," he soothed, though it did nothing to calm my nerves. "We're going back to Japan."

Confusion swept through me. "Japan? Why? What's there?" With each word I spoke faster. "Nix can't be there, he's back at the Patch Village. Why did we leave…?"

I hadn't noticed that someone had called over Faust until the doctor stood beside Pirika; Eliza was leaning past Pirika, a syringe in her hand.

"This'll help you relax, Tori-kun," Faust assured me as Eliza gently but firmly grasped my wrist. I noticed that I had one or two band-aids on my arm… And my hand was wrapped in bandages.

They had been trying to keep me drugged. That much I understood, and it scared the hell out of me. Why did they need to do this? Was I dangerous? Why was my hand all wrapped up?

Despite my anxiety, somehow I trusted Faust and Eliza enough, and my skin stung slightly where the syringe pricked it. "What's going on?" I had to ask. "Why…"

The questions slipped out of my mind, as did any other possible matters. The next thing I was really aware of was looking out the window.

()()()()()()

"Hello, Tori-kun," Dr. Tanaka greeted me, politely bowing. Middle-aged, petite build, dark hair, trustworthy expression. She turned to Faust. "It's wonderful to finally meet you in person, Faust-sama."

Faust smiled modestly. "Thank you for agreeing to take on Tori-kun. You don't know how wonderful it is to finally find a therapist who has a sixth sense and knows about shamanism. I was worried I'd have to help Tori-kun myself, and I'm not specifically trained in psychotherapy."

I sat in a plush chair of Dr. Tanaka's office as she and Faust exchanged pleasantries. Obviously, we were back in Japan, and Faust had immediately started calling up the local therapists. Though I was very grateful to him for this - for I needed help, I admitted that - I was very nervous. It had been about a week since the flight back, and Faust had stopped sedating me. I had been very calm since then; granted, at times I was still confused, but far less than I had been fore. I had also learned why I was sedated in the first place.

I had been startled when I thought Yoh was Hao, but apparently, when I had seen Ren, I had freaked out, thinking back to the times when the Tao was trying to kill me and Yoh. Since coming back to Japan, I had hardly spoken two words to Ren, especially after being told how I had reacted, but oddly enough, the Tao had used his connections to create a total background for me as "Victoria 'Tori' Anderson," who had been born in Arizona in the U.S. before moving to Japan at age five and becoming an orphan at seven. Needless to say, I was grateful for that.

Dr. Tanaka turned to me again, jolting me back to the present. "Tori-kun, you realize that this isn't going to happen overnight, correct?"

"I-I know," I replied, nodding. I hesitated before adding, "I don't care how long it takes."


	65. Epilogue

**DISCLAIMER: For the last time here, I don't own Shaman King, only my own OCs.**

**Epilogue**

**Several Months Later**

"Ne, Yoh?"

"Mm?" Yoh mumbled, lifting his head up weakly and curiously. We were sitting on a park bench (well, Yoh was rather sprawled across it), taking a break from running. Yoh had weights on his arms and ankles, and sweat was everywhere on his body. Nostalgia for the old days filled me, but I felt much more comfortable in this moment, when there were no lies between Yoh and me.

I looked at my right hand; despite Faust's best efforts (he had even experimented in oversoul healing), I was lightly scarred on the palm and the heel of my hand. "Do you get the feeling that Hao's lonely?"

Yoh sat up and rested his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together. He looked at me seriously. His eyes were slightly tired and pained; he was still haunted by the fact that he had thought he had killed his own brother, even though it was obvious Hao was still alive. "Yes," he admitted, "but why're you bringing it up?"

Truthfulness and openness. That's what Dr. Tanaka and I had talked about in one of our first meetings. "I can just…relate to Hao. Lying to you guys made me feel lonely. I… I pity Hao. And I want to know why he's lonely."

"Me, too," Yoh agreed. He stared out into the distance for a moment, the wind tugging at his chocolate hair. "You know," he said finally, "no matter how strong I become, Hao's always going to be stronger. I think that the only way we'll ever defeat him is if we defeat his heart. I could accept him as Shaman King if I could do that and help him."

"Defeat his heart," I repeated. I paused to let it sink in, then looked at Yoh. "It'll be hard."

Yoh grinned. "I think it's all we can do. But it'll all work out."

His mantra made me laugh. I jumped to my feet, turning to hold out a hand to Yoh. "Let me help you up; those weights must be like carrying around another person."

Nearly-comical tears streamed from Yoh's eyes as he accepted my hand. "More like one and a Manta."

()()()()()()

Pirika giggled as she and I left the movie theater and began to walk toward the bus stop. "Shinji was _so _cute," she blabbed, commenting on the lead character of the movie we'd just seen.

I laughed at Pirika's enraptured expression. "I guess so. His actor wasn't that great, though."

Pirika gave me a sly look. "I suppose you could do better?"

I mimicked the character's voice as best as I could. "'Oh, Vanessa-chan, if only I could understand your words, but I guess I'll have to let your eyes translate for me.'" I broke out into giggles, effectively losing my fake voice. "Yeah, right!"

Pirika burst out laughing and blushed slightly; she'd enjoyed the movie much more than she let on. "Okay, I have to admit, that was a very cheesy movie."

"No, really?" I asked sarcastically. Pirika laughed again. "At least it had a happy ending."

Pirika nodded. Conversation stopped for a moment as we reached the bus stop. With the sudden silence between us as we boarded, I remembered with a pang what she had told me just a few days ago, and what was going to happen that night. Remembering Dr. Tanaka's advice, I took a breath to relax.

Pirika and I made small chitchat on the bus and during out walk to the En Inn. We didn't talk about anything major, and Pirika didn't comment about how I'd become much more mellow since Dr. Tanaka had started working with me (Faust paying for her services, something I wasn't comfortable with; I was definitely going to pay him back one day).

Sometimes I was prone to a bout of depression. They came at random times, sometimes when I was looking out a window, sometimes when someone said something even remotely related to what I had gone through. I did my best to be sociable and open with the other members of the Inn, but mostly it was either Yoh or Pirika I would confide in. Everyone in the Inn was very attentive to the moods of others, but of course Yoh was more so than others, and Pirika had become one of my best friends. I enjoyed the Ainu girl's company, even if she was excitable and overprotective of her older brother. (She also had gone to calling me "Tori-chan," dropping the "nee.")

HoroHoro and I hadn't had a deep conversation since before I tried to run away from Patch Village. Knowing he had feelings for me made me feel uncomfortable around him, though I tried to squash that awkwardness. Honestly, I couldn't even imagine having that type of relationship with another person, especially since I was still unstable. HoroHoro never pushed the subject, though, instead opting to just try and have fun like we used to - though it wasn't quite the same. I appreciated his actions.

Great Spirits, I was going to miss the Ainus.

HoroHoro and Pirika's father wanted to two of them home after being gone so long. The two had been concerned for me, and had stayed at the Inn to make sure I was all right. I felt a little guilty about it (guilt being something I was working on with Dr. Tanaka), and I knew that the two probably really wanted to go home - not that I was going to stop them.

When you really don't want something to happen, time flies. Soon, HoroHoro and Pirika had to go and catch their train, and goodbyes were being said on the front lawn. (I should say here that Chocolove and Lyserg weren't present, as the two had gone to New York before Lyserg hopped a plane back to London. Ryu had gone on a road trip the day after the Ainus announced their leave, saying that he needed a trip before the Fight began again. Don't ask me why.)

As usual, Ren and HoroHoro were having an argument (one of them said the other was stupid or something like that) while Yoh and Manta laughed and tried to break them up.

Pirika smacked her brother's arm. "Gah, Onii-chan! Don't spoil the moment with fighting!"

"But Pirika, he started-"

"I did not, baka."

"Why you-!"

Pirika evidently gave up as HoroHoro tried to catch Ren in a headlock. As the two began to wrestle and argue some more (Yoh nervously intervening), Pirika zipped over to me and gave me a bone-crushing hug.

"I'll miss you, Tori-chan!" she cried.

I squirmed in her grip. "Pirika, it's not for forever. You guys are coming back when the Fight is re-announced."

"I know, but…!"

"Jeez, Pirika," HoroHoro said, rubbing his shoulder and looking rather miffed (Ren looked both haughty and annoyed). "You're going to crush her in half."

Reluctantly, Pirika let go of me, pouting in sadness.

Anna rolled her eyes. "You two'll miss the train," she pointed out.

"Good point," HoroHoro agreed, tugging on Pirika's arm. "Do you want to have to walk all the way there? Because Dad'll expect us there anyway."

"Fine," Pirika grumbled, turning the tables on her brother and dragging him toward the main gate. "Let's go!" she snapped grumpily.

"Don't drag me!" HoroHoro protested.

"You're the one that wanted to leave just now to catch the train!"

HoroHoro let out a noise of annoyance before becoming resigned. He waved with his free arm. "Bye Yoh, Ren, Manta! Bye Anna…-san!" he added quickly. "Bye Faust! Bye Tori! See ya when the Fight starts again!"

Pirika called out last goodbyes as well, waving like we did (sans Anna and Ren). I remembered the movie that the Ainu girl and I had watched that day: Shinji, depressed that he couldn't understand Vanessa, ran away from her, only to have her running after him and resolving their dilemma through hard work. It was good for a love story, but for here, it didn't apply for me and HoroHoro.

()()()()()()

"May I talk to you?"

Ren looked up from his book toward me from across the table, slight curiosity gleaming in his gold eyes, though the look was somewhat guarded. He nodded, motioning for me to sit down, opposite him. I did, and he closed his book. From what I could tell by reading the title upside-down, it was about ancient China. It looked a little worn, and I vaguely wondered if he was reading it for the thirty-third time.

"Well?" the Tao prompted while I was fumbling for words.

"…You were right."

"Of course I was. But about what?"

The arrogant remark reminded me that I was far too weak to get away with strangling him. At the same time it made me want to laugh. "I am an idiot."

Ren raised an eyebrow, his eyes flashing. No doubt he enjoyed that statement. Bastard.

I took a breath. "I shouldn't have done…that to you. I was very lonely and unstable. I apologize." I paused. "I'm not quite sure if what I said is true or not, though, but if I ever act on those feelings, it's not going to be for a long time. You're a good person, Ren, despite what you've done. And I'm not just saying that because you freed me - for one reason because it was all technicality."

A very slight grimace had come to Ren's face at the mention of the past, but it was gone quickly. He didn't openly comment on my feelings. "I accept your apology. But I must agree that you are rather stupid. Not as much as the Ainu, though." He paused, looking as if he was going to say something else, but he didn't.

"Well…," I began, "I have a…proposition for you."

Ren's brows knitted together in puzzlement. "What?"

I extended my hand. "I know it's not really the custom in China, but… Friends?"

Ren's expression was masked and unreadable. He suddenly sighed in exasperation. To my shock (and perhaps horror), he smiled slightly. "You _are _an idiot." He opened his book back up, casting his eyes down to it. "I'm not going to shake your hand."

The way he said it made me smile. I pulled my hand back. "It's better than a slap."

"Keep practicing. You're absolutely nothing compared to Anna's Legendary Left, from what I hear."

I winced at the thought. "Well… Thanks for making that fake identity for me."

"Who else was going to?" Ren looked back up. "And just when are you really going to use it?"

()()()()()()

I nervously stood out in the silent hallway; there was nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs as I waited. Sure, Dr. Tanaka and I had sorted out most of my troubles by now, and I was sane again after hours of hard work. But still, I doubted whether I was prepared for this.

The door beside me slid open, and a brown-haired, middle-aged man with a mustache (whose name I had already forgotten) poked his head out of the room. "Come in, Anderson-san," he said, mispronouncing the American surname.

"H-hai, Sensei," I replied, entering the room. He shut the door once I was inside.

"Class," the teacher began, shepherding me to the center front of the room; I kept my head down, embarrassed and wondering why I had decided to do this. I covered my right hand with my left, hiding the slight scars leftover from the burn I had gotten from Hao and Spirit of Fire. "This is Victoria Anderson-san," he introduced, once again mispronouncing the name, "originally from America. She is our new student."

I bowed to the class, wishing they all weren't staring at me. "Ohayo," I greeted.

"Anderson-san, you may take the seat near the back beside Kyoyama-san."

Following the teacher's instructions, I made my way through the rows of desks and came to the empty desk beside Anna. If I hadn't hallucinated it, I thought I saw Anna give the slightest half-second smile, though I had no idea if it reached her eyes or not. I sat down at my assigned desk; before I was even settled, the teacher had begun writing the outline for today's history lesson.

Manta was turned in his seat a couple rows ahead, giving me a quick smile and wave before turning around and beginning to copy down what the teacher was writing. A row ahead and over by the window sat Yoh; a lazy grin was on his face as he gave me an equally lazy wave. Beside him sat Ren - he and Jun had decided to stay in Tokyo for the time being, though they weren't staying at the En Inn (well, they all but slept there). The Tao merely glanced back before rolling his eyes at Yoh and turning back to the board. I caught myself staring at Ren and I quickly looked down at my desk before pulling out a notebook and pencil from my bag.

A sudden poking on my arm caught my attention, and I looked to see that the black-haired boy sitting in the seat next to me had prodded me with his pencil eraser.

"Hey, An-der-sun-chan," he greeted. "I'm Tamaki."

"Um, hi," I replied. "…Call me Tori."

Tamaki smiled. "Are you really from America, Tori-chan?" he asked curiously.

I nodded, running though "Victoria Anderson's" profile in my mind. "I was born there, but I moved here when I was five." And why include the detail that I was an "orphan"? That would lead to awkward questions, and I didn't want to explain anything that wasn't true any more than I had to.

Tamaki noticed that Yoh was still waving (the Asakura actually looked hypnotized or something, as if he was about to fall asleep). Tamaki made a face. "Why is Asakura waving at you?"

Tamaki's tone didn't sit well with me, but I didn't address it. "I met him a while ago. We're friends."

Tamaki shook his head. "Asakura's a nice guy and all, but he's such a whacko. He _believes _in _spirits, _and so does Oyamada and Kyo-"

"Excuse me?" Anna asked, deceptively calm; I turned to see that she wasn't even looking at Tamaki, although by the way the boy was acting, it seemed as if she was aiming a gun straight at him. "What did you say?"

"U-uh, nothing, Kyoyama-san," Tamaki stuttered.

"Are you sure?" the itako asked. "Because I thought I heard you talking."

"Nothing! Nothing at a-"

"_Excuse me_, Suzuki-san, but I'm trying to teach a class here," the teacher interrupted. "A new student does not warrant gossip in the classroom."

Tamaki froze before bowing his head. "I'm very sorry, Sensei."

"Make sure it doesn't happen again," the teacher advised, turning back to the board.

When lunchtime finally rolled around, I pulled my lunch bag out of my bag. Beside me, Anna stood and walked over to the now-vacant seat in front of Yoh; Manta had already congregated over there as well, and Ren looked resigned to stay there. I stood, setting an empty chair behind Yoh in my sights.

"Are you really going to eat with _them_, Tori-chan?" Tamaki asked distastefully, turning around in his chair to better talk to the people behind him. "You can eat with us, you know."

I hesitated, not really wanting to turn down the offer in fear of alienating Tamaki and his friends beside him.

One of them, a girl with short, dark hair, let out a weird giggle-snort. "Don't eat with the spirit-freaks. You'll catch their disease, and soon you'll start seeing ghosts everywhere."

My temper flared, through I did my best to reign it in. "Well, that's better than getting _your _disease," I snapped, quickly departing.

"Making friends, I see," Ren noted as I sat down in the desk behind Yoh. The Tao was calmly eating his Chinese food, but I could've sworn I saw a glint of concern in his glance.

"Suzuki-san's not even that nice to his friends," Manta assured me, his mouth slightly full. He swallowed. "He's only ever nice to pretty girls." He blushed slightly, realizing he inadvertently complimented me.

"He's disrespectful to me," Anna pointed out. Manta froze and broke out into a sweat before stammering apologies to the itako.

"So," Yoh said, turned around and giving me a grin. "How do you like school so far?"

"Well," I began, "I know most of the stuff…and…well… It's boring," I admitted.

()()()()()()

Weeks and days went by. Normalcy radiated throughout this time, although the knowledge that Hao was still alive hung over us all; some days the it was oppressive, others it was only just ignorable. During that time, I used my Oracle Bell to exchange emails with my mother (whom had little technological knowledge, though I'm sure Silva or someone helped her). I asked her if the Patch knew when the Fights were going to start up again, but she didn't.

I grew better with each passing day, though it would be a long time before I would be able to think about Nix without wanting to cry. I still felt awfully alone at some points, especially at night with no one to talk to, but I knew that eventually I wouldn't feel this way. Time heals all wounds, after all, though I wasn't sure how completely it helped. Maybe one day I'd be as close to someone as I had been with Nix - perhaps Ren, perhaps HoroHoro, perhaps neither of them - but I was going to be patient and wait for that while I worked to get better.

It was a nice night, but I'd been feeling somewhat antsy all day - as had the others, aside from Manta. Yoh, Ren, Manta, Jun, Pailong (whom I'd started speaking to more than I used to), and I hung around in the yard or sat on the outside walkway, while Anna and Tamao sat inside. Everyone's spirit allies were also slightly restless as well.

A bird's song caught my attention, and I looked up into a tree to see a brownish bird sitting on a branch. It seemed to look at me for a moment before it flew off; I recognized it from science class as a Japanese Skylark.

A mere second after the bird disappeared from view, the night sky was lit up as giant, bluish star streaked through the air.

The End

_Notes and Trivia:_

_AMBIGUOUS ENDINGS SUCK BUT I CAN'T HELP IT, THEY'RE AWESOME AT THE SAME TIME._

_That bird at the end… maybe it was Nix… maybe it wasn't… You decide. ;)_

_I hoped Tori's insane-ness was portrayed well. After all, the spirit she'd been with for forever had gone, and she was still caught up in her lies even if she told the truth. Kinda like Ren, being haunted by his past._

_In early drafts of my ideas, we didn't meet Tori until we arrived at Patch Village. At that point, HoroHoro was supposed to meet her and become confused by the fact that she couldn't speak, thus starting their romance. That idea meant that Tori would've been more of a Disney princess, kinda like Snow White or whoever, who has to wait for her prince. (Granted, she still has to essentially do that here, what with Namas's prayer being what it was, but she takes matters into her own hands.)_

_I struggled an awful lot with who Tori would end up with. One day it was Ren, the other it was HoroHoro. (And yes, while I've said I know who she ends up with, I was kinda lying.) Ren because the two were so similar and went through much development together, HoroHoro because…well… HoroHoro took matters into his own hands. Seriously. When I first began writing the "final draft" as it may be (heh, draft, I barely do those), this story was going to be exclusively RenxTori. Horo's just so freaking impulsive. Horo and Tori had chemistry, and HoroHoro really loved her - hence why he decided not to push matters when he saw how broken she was. And though he'd fight for her, if she really didn't want him, he would let her be._

_Speculate what you want (ambiguous ending and all), but for what I see, Tori and Ren did eventually end up together. Hence why my next story (which I'm revealing here to be titled "Science & Faith" and hopefully I'm going to put up the first chapter right after I put up this one) is going to be HoroxOC, because I was so mean to him. *pets Horo only to have him give me a strange look*_

_The rest of the Fight would've probably gone on as it did in the manga, though Yoh would've only come up with the idea of attacking Hao when he was merging with the Great Spirits in his sleep if there was no other option left at _all_. Hao would still become the Shaman King, though Yoh would have gotten through to him by learning Hao's backstory, and they would have come up with an alternative to killing humans - like using the Great Spirits' power to _clean up the earth and warn all the humans that he's not going to clean up for them again. _Or, you know, something._

_Let's go on to some trivia. (Note: all meanings for names come from a baby names site, and that's the only source I've looked up.) _

_Originally, "Tori" was supposed to be short for "Victoria" - for victory, since she's basically like a prize for the Shaman King. However, I was browsing names for characters when I came upon "Catori," a Native American name for "spirit." _

"_Shima," Tori's current (and last) mother, is Native American for "mother." I felt really bad when I created Shima (spur-of-the-moment, she didn't exist in my mind until the chapter we met her in); her husband, Dakota, died, and she knew that her daughter was going to be a sacrifice. Not to mention Tori's reincarnations (somehow…) made her barren, though that's lifted now. Not that it matters, really._

"_Namas" had some sort of tie to a bird, but really I just liked the name. "Tokori," her husband, I chose because it sounded similar to "Catori," and it means "owl."_

_In the beginning, "Nix" was short for "phoenix." "Nix" means "to say no to something." Which he did a lot. (When I found out that was an actual word, I was very excited.) "Neka" is Native American for "wild goose." Is it just me seeing a bird theme…? Nix was always going to sacrifice himself for Tori, but Neka didn't exist in my mind until a few chapters before he was introduced. I'm very glad that I made him, for it helped to expand Nix's character and why he did things, but killing him made me bawl my eyes out. I felt especially sad after I gave him that bonus chapter. Neka could have had a very successful and filling life, but he gave it up to fulfill his aunt's wishes - and later, he threw his aunt's wishes aside and did everything for Tori. His love for her was never romantic (he's a bird; he only ever had romantic feelings when he was a boy, for Nayeli), but it did make him jealous of anyone that took her time away from him. I feel like he had some of the greatest development for any character I've created._

_I don't think I explain it, but Tori's new guardians are the Asakuras; they adopted her, rather like they did to Tamao, on the official story of her being an apprentice to them._

_Honestly, I can't remember anything else that I could say. Hopefully I didn't forget anything. Like I said before, my next SK story is going to be HoroxOC, titled "Science & Faith," so if you like my style (though it's not going to be in 1st__ person), be sure to check it out, I'm going to try and update it after I smack the "complete" sticker on this story. I may also simultaneously work on a Pokemon project I've had lurking in my mind - PMD2 based, if you were wondering. _

_And of course, how could I end this incredibly long note without thanking you, the reader? To those who favorited, reviewed, story alerted, I thank you for giving me reason to continue. To whoever's reading this after I've finished, a review would be welcome, but I won't beg for it (though I did just shamelessly suggest it), and to everyone, even if you just read the first page and said "Screw it, this story isn't worth my time" (even though you wouldn't be reading this now), I say: thank you. Tori wouldn't have reason to exist without you, and I'm very sad to say goodbye to her._

_Now, get the hell off this page and go read & review something else (preferably of mine… ;)_


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